School canteens, in particular what and how children eat, have experienced significant changes over the past four years. In 2020, a large-scale school nutrition reform was launched, initiated by First Lady Olena Zelenska.
Its main goal is to provide children with high-quality, safe, and nutritious meals in schools, to create a healthy eating culture, and to spread it among Ukrainian families.
Last year, the main results and priority areas of the Reform were presented. These include changes to the legislative framework, the adoption of the School Nutrition Reform Strategy for 2023-2027, the development of culinary hubs and sharing best practices in the regions.
The final stage of the Reform is the modernisation and reconstruction of canteens. After all, achieving the goal of school catering reform is only possible if schools have canteens and kitchens that meet modern standards.
On 18 July, Taras Sluchyk, Team Lead of the Rebuilding with Integrity component, presented the work of the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative (EUACI) in cooperation with the School Nutrition Reform and the Ministry of Education and Science to increase the transparency of procurement processes during renovations.
What are we doing?
- Risk assessment in the project documentation for the repair of school canteens. Experts have already reviewed 187 construction or reconstruction projects. Estimates, equipment, and construction works were assessed for technical, budgetary, and sanctioning risks.
- Development of recommendations for fair procurement. The guide was developed by EUACI experts to procure entities that repair school canteens.
The recommendations are available at the following link: http://surl.li/eohyuj - Increasing contracting authorities’ capacity to conduct procurement per the developed guidelines. The EUACI public procurement expert will conduct training based on the recommendations this month.
- Civil monitoring of the public procurement process. A separate tender will be announced for this purpose, and the winning company will conduct inspections and inform us about possible violations.
“Our joint goal with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the School Nutrition Reform Team is the most efficient, effective, and transparent utilization of the 1.5 billion hryvnias allocated by the state. Firstly, this will strengthen trust in the entire idea of the nutrition reform. Secondly, this practice can set a new standard for other Ministry subsidies, making procurement processes ethical and providing the best service for children,” summarized Taras Sluchyk, Head of the Integrity Restoration Component.
The event is part of the School nutrition reform Strategy with the support of the Research Consortium.
