Students in grades 1-11 will receive free meals nationwide starting next September

Starting in September 2026, students in grades 1-11 will receive free meals nationwide. To implement the first phase of the program, the government has allocated almost UAH 6 billion. This was announced by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, as reported by UNN.

Students in grades 1-11 will receive free meals nationwide starting in September next year. The government is preparing all necessary decisions for this. Today, almost UAH 5.9 billion in subventions have been allocated to communities for the implementation of the first phase of the program to provide the first phase of meals for schoolchildren in 2026. In total, UAH 14.4 billion is provided for this program in the State Budget for 2026.

According to her, the government has separately allocated funding for the modernization of school canteens so that children receive not only free but also high-quality meals.

Since the beginning of 2025, free meals have already been provided to students in grades 1-4 throughout Ukraine, and since September, students in grades 1-11 in frontline communities have also started receiving hot lunches. Our priority is to create conditions for safe and comfortable learning for every Ukrainian child, regardless of their place of residence or learning format.

Recall

Starting in September, students in grades 1-4 throughout Ukraine and grades 5-11 in frontline regions will receive free meals.