With the start of the academic year, the inequality in the situation of children has become more apparent. As more than 20 million students started school yesterday, Buğra Gökce, the head of Istanbul Planning Agency (İPA), announced the data on the nutritional problems faced by students. 

  

Buğra Gökçe, who is affiliated with Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB), also touched upon the extent of the widespread malnutrition among students.

 

According to these data, 1 out of every 3 students in Turkey never eats breakfast before going to school; 60 percent of students do not eat breakfast at least one day a week and 19.2 percent go hungry at least one day a week due to lack of money. Furthermore, 2 percent of children never have dinner after school and 1.9 percent go hungry every day for economic reasons. 

 

Gökçe also stated that the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has decided to distribute 2 million nutrition packages to primary and secondary school students, but that the problem is not a responsibility that can be undertaken by local governments and that schools should provide one free, healthy meal a day.