Broccoli with potatoes and turkey in the casserole: stewed lentils and ham omelette; macaroni bolognese and nuggets of broccoli; chickpea soup and beef meatballs; and every Thursday, fresh fish from the market. These are some of the menus offered by the Sol Ixent school in Corbins (Segrià), for both its primary school pupils and those of the municipal nursery. All dishes are cooked on the centre's premises. Hot meals and, in many cases, locally sourced. And, since last September, it has also been an intergenerational meal.

"Imagine you have the dentist come to your house, and when they leave you tell them you'll pay in six months. Well, that's what we're experiencing," explains Pep Montes, manager of the Catalan Association of Leisure, Education, and Culture Companies (Acellec), which represents Catalan micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises. They report that, since the start of the school year, the twenty or so companies that provide cafeteria services in Barcelona's schools and institutes have not been paid for any of the meals covered by the school meal grants—the subsidies provided by the Catalan government to help vulnerable students access this service. Although Acellec hasn't been able to provide a precise count of how much money the companies are owed due to this delay—it's necessary to determine how many students receive subsidies at each school, and each company serves several schools and institutes—Montes warns that for some of these companies, the corresponding subsidy payments are still pending. "More and more families are in a difficult financial situation, but if we don't receive funding from the Education Department, in practice it's the companies that are financing school meal grants," denounces the manager of l'Acellec, who insists that many of the companies and organizations providing meal services are foundations and SMEs. According to data from the Education Department, last year meal assistance in the city of Barcelona reached almost 50,000 students (between full and partial aid), with a total amount of more than 55 million euros, although the figures are still provisional. Sources from the Barcelona Education Consortium (CEB) admit that "it is true that there is a delay in the payments of this aid" and argue that "it must be contextualized within the current budgetary framework." They insist that they are "working with an extended budget from 2023, which affects certain administrative processes and may lengthen some procedures." They also warn that, in addition to this situation, "the year-on-year increase in demand for this service" is a major factor. The Department of Education also clarifies that it is a bureaucratic issue of payment delays from the department to the CEB (Consortium of Education). Despite admitting the delay, the Consortium also indicates that "before the Christmas holidays," the amount corresponding to September and October was paid, and that they are working with the expectation of "paying everything else during this month of January." However, it should be noted that, bureaucratically, the Consortium pays this money to the schools, and the schools then pay the catering companies directly. Sometimes, there is an additional step, and the money must be transferred to the AFAs (parent-teacher associations) that manage this service. Therefore, Montes explains that the time between the Consorci's payment and the company's invoice is sometimes long. "If they pay at the end of January, between one thing and another, many companies will find themselves not getting paid for menus they served in September until February, almost half a year later," criticizes the manager of the leisure companies' association.

The bell rings at 3 p.m., you leave school, chat about the day with your friends, go home—walking or on the school bus—drop your things, make yourself lunch—or heat it up if your parents have left it unattended—and sit down in front of the TV at 4 p.m. This is the reality for thousands of teenagers who attend public high schools in Catalonia, where only 35% of secondary schools offer a cafeteria service. This also means that only a third of students in public high schools can access a lunch grant.

The fact that school cafeteria services are largely managed by companies and entities in the educational leisure sector is undoubtedly a success of the Catalan educational model. The Government's Secretary for Educational Improvement, Josefa Beltran, recently recalled, during the Acellec Economic and Social Forum, that lunchtime accounts for 30% of children's time at school. It would be unreasonable to think that the services provided during this time period were not educational in nature.

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.

Until now, families who needed to access aid to cover the cost of school meals in Barcelona could fill out an application and hand it in in person at the school or institute where their child is enrolled. Now, however, the Education Consortium has modified this procedure and in order to apply for the school meal grant in the Catalan capital, it will be mandatory to have an electronic signature such as the IdCAT or the Cl@ve PIN.

Nowadays it is difficult to imagine a school without a canteen, especially in urban environments. The lunchtime is essential for families to be able to balance their work schedules with the students' school hours. For many families, it is almost a necessity. In addition, the canteen is a space that contributes to guaranteeing a healthy and balanced diet for schoolchildren. However, it is not part of the school schedule and no regulations require it to be part of the school's educational project.