School meals 2026: the government is providing 46.5 million hryvnias for the modernisation of school canteens
This was announced by the Minister of Education and Science, Oksen Lisovyi.
School influences not only a child’s education but also their daily habits, particularly their attitude towards nutrition and their own health. That is why, in 2026, the government is continuing to fund the refurbishment of school canteens so that children have the right conditions for healthy eating during the school day.
This involves a grant of over 46.5 million hryvnias, which will be allocated to complete projects launched in 2025 that are already at an advanced stage of completion and require additional funding.
Only those facilities where readiness stands at 60% or more will be eligible for funding. For 2026, 19 educational institutions that meet this condition have submitted applications for such additional funding and are set to complete the work and open the renovated kitchens and canteens to children.
The refurbishment is taking place as part of the school meals reform initiated by Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska. To date, around 20% of school kitchens in Ukraine have been modernised. Of these, 188 were refurbished using state subsidies, with 155 facilities already completed and a further 33 nearing completion.
Separately, over 1,500 canteens have been refurbished using local budget funds and with the support of international partners.
In parallel with the modernisation of infrastructure, the state is expanding children’s access to free hot meals. In the 2024–2025 academic year, 1.5 million pupils received them, and in the 2025–2026 academic year, the figure rose to 2 million children.
For 2026, the state budget has allocated 14.4 billion hryvnias for this purpose. These funds are intended to provide free meals to all pupils in years 1–11 at the state’s expense.
