South Australian families struggling with the high cost of living will be offered a $100 discount on school fees for each child next year.
The initiative was accessible to public school students in 2022 and 2023, and on Monday Premier Peter Malinauskas announced it will be extended to 2024 as part of the state budget.
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It offers families a $100 off per child for the school’s Materials and Services charge, which can cost up to $253 for primary school students and $334 for secondary students.
Over three years, it will cost the state government $3.6 million.
Malinauskas said the state government would also boost funding for the state school breakfast program by $6.5 million, so 1.4 million meals can be delivered to state school students over four years.
“The cost of living is a significant challenge across the country, and we know there are families doing it tough,” he said in a statement.
“We can’t ask our kids to fill their minds on an empty stomach. That’s why we’re also investing to deliver more than a million additional school breakfasts.”
South Australian charity KickStart for Kids, which helps run the school breakfast program for schools across the state, has experienced a 70 per cent increase in demand for the service since last year, CEO and Founder Ian Steele said.
“Many more families are doing it tough due to an increase in the cost of living, this directly impacts family’s ability to provide regular meals, breakfast is the first to go,” he said.
Clovelly Park Primary School is one of the schools who have a breakfast program for 60 of its students, five days a week.
Principal Terena Pope said the program was important for the wellbeing and education of students.
“This support enables us to offer a great range of food options – including cereal, fresh and tinned fruit, bread, butter and spreads, sandwiches, and milk – which ensures the students are ready to learn when the school day begins,” she said.
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