Government reinforces the dissemination of new School Meals Program rules among implementing entities
On April 24th, 2025, the Ministry of State Administration (MoSA), in coordination with the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Ministry of Health (MoH), promoted a national dissemination campaign on the new rules of the School Meal Programme (PME – acronym in Portuguese) aimed at its leading implementers during an event held at City-8 in Dili. The main objective of this initiative was to ensure technical and administrative alignment between all entities involved in the programme's implementation, following the new legal framework established by Decree-Law No. 61/2022 and Government Decree No. 3/2025.
Recognising the importance of adequate nutrition for healthy growth, effective learning and reducing inequalities, the Government launched the School Meals Programme as a strategic initiative to ensure universal and equitable access to nutritious meals in the country's pre-school and primary education establishments.
The programme provides a subsidy under the school social action programme, aimed at guaranteeing the right to a daily, healthy, balanced meal, which is essential for child development.
In addition to combating food insecurity and improving school performance, the School Meals Programme also aims to promote sustainable community development by encouraging the production and consumption of locally grown food. Its implementation, therefore, represents a firm commitment by the state to the well-being and future of Timorese children while contributing to eradicating hunger, strengthening the local economy, and developing national human capital.
Government Decree No. 3/2025 defined the procedures and rules for the effective and sustainable implementation of the PME, clarifying the responsibilities of the various stakeholders and the monitoring and evaluation mechanisms necessary to ensure transparency and quality in the programme's execution.
The programme is implemented by pre-school and primary education establishments — public, private and cooperative — that are part of the state public network, as well as community organisations and groups, even if they are informal associations.
During the meeting's opening, the Director-General for Decentralisation and Local Government of the MAE, António Augusto Guterres, emphasised the importance of revising the implementation manual for the School Meals Programme, now adapted to the new legislative framework, and reinforced the need for efficient coordination between central and municipal levels to ensure effective and consistent implementation.
The updated manual aims to provide clear technical guidance to school principals, municipal authorities, inspectors, and local partners, ensuring that school meals meet strict nutritional quality criteria. Marcelo Caetano, representative of the Ministry of Education, explained, “To reduce malnutrition and motivate students to be diligent in school, we will focus on implementation procedures at the grassroots level.” He added that this measure reinforces the role of school feeding as an essential tool for promoting health and school success.
The new manual, approved by members of the Government responsible for state administration, education, and health, also stresses the importance of strict supervision by the competent authorities. “We ask implementers, especially school meal inspectors in each school, to ensure strict control of this programme, avoiding negative impacts on students’ health. That priority is given to using local products”, appealed Marcelo Caetano.
Municipal authorities, school principals, representatives of national and international non-governmental organisations, and development partners, including CARE International and the World Food Programme, attended the dissemination session. These organisations have provided technical and logistical support to the Government in implementing and reviewing the School Meals Programme through the HATUTAN programme.
The President of the Municipal Authority of Ermera, José Martinho dos Santos Soares, emphasised that ”this awareness-raising action contributes significantly to helping implementers understand the processes and roles they play in the programme's execution”, ensuring the continued commitment of local authorities to collaborate with partners to ensure nutritious and safe school meals.
The Government recalls that the School Meals Programme has been decentralised, with municipal authorities assigned direct responsibility for its implementation. The value per meal has been adjusted from 0.25 to 0.42 cents to reflect the need to ensure adequate nutritional quality standards. Meals are served at 10 a.m. for morning shift students and at 3 p.m. for afternoon shift students. They must be prepared with at least 75% local products, complying with strict food hygiene and safety standards, to preserve their freshness and ensure the beneficiaries' health.
