Bureaucratic obstacles in school cafeterias

This school year, families in Barcelona who want to access a lunch scholarship They will have to do it by means of an electronic signatureOn paper, eliminating red tape is intended to make the process easier, but in practice, it can become a new barrier for many vulnerable families.

I recently analyzed the functioning of the dining room scholarships in the Bofill Foundation Yearbook: what caused some families who may have them not to apply for them (a phenomenon known asnon-take-up) and as in Catalonia the good practice of implementing measures that stood out reduce some of the access barriers and increase aid coverageFor example, by relaxing the requirements, eliminating the social services report requirement, and increasing the amount of aid that covers 100% of the cost—key measures to increase access to this essential resource. However, the report also made clear that there are still obstacles to ensuring that meal aid reaches all Catalan children who need it. These obstacles range from lack of knowledge to bureaucratic hurdles, as well as the stigma that can be associated with being a beneficiary of social assistance.

The new requirement for electronic signatures may represent a step backward and create a new obstacle for those groups who suffer from the digital divide or lack the necessary resources to complete the process online. Digitalization is not necessarily synonymous with accessibility. Although it is essential to modernize administrative processes to make them more efficient and accessible, this does not necessarily mean digitizing the application process for citizens. Despite the support that may be offered to complete the digital process, it is essential to maintain alternative avenues, especially for people with greater access difficulties, to prevent technology from becoming a barrier rather than a gateway to aid. In fact, Law 39/2015 on the common administrative procedure of public administrations itself obliges them to guarantee citizens' right not to have to interact digitally in this type of procedure.

But the debate must go beyond administrative difficulties. School cafeterias should not be conceived as social assistance for vulnerable families, but as a universal right to educationThis means improving equal opportunities and ensuring healthy nutrition for all children. This is especially true in Catalonia, where public schools continue to have some of the highest lunch prices in the country.

The digitalization of school lunch grants can be a step forward, but only if it ensures that no one is excluded. If we truly want to guarantee the right to healthy food and equal education, real change doesn't lie in adding new requirements, but in moving toward a universal school lunch program, accessible to all children. The best grant is the one that isn't necessary.