Ilsur Metshin on the completion of the school canteen renovation program: “It seemed to be a very challenging project”

Starting from the new school year, 184 school canteens in Kazan will operate in the restaurant format – the city has been moving towards this indicator for 10 years. Of these, 17 canteens have been renovated for the upcoming Knowledge Day: the interior decoration was carried out and new equipment was installed. Ilsur Metshin visited school № 83 of the Privolzhsky city district today with journalists. The Mayor inspected the work done and noted that now all school canteens in Kazan are in excellent condition.

“A lot of planned work has been completed on the program. I am pleased to announce that on the eve of the first of September, we have finally reached this milestone - we have renovated 184 school canteens”, - the Mayor said. All food facilities have been updated to the same standards, but with different designs. The work was done in collaboration with parents, school principals, teachers, and other experts. "Actually, this was an informal approach,”- the Mayor explained.

By the Day of Knowledge, renovations were completed in 17 school canteens, including the food hall of school № 83, which was previously renovated in 2014. Ten years later, a modernization program has returned to the school due to the repair of engineering systems. Electricity, water, sewer and ventilation systems have been replaced. The overhaul will streamline the workflow and make food preparation faster. The designed capacity increased from 120 to 180 seats.

The Director General of the Nutrition Department, Rima Mukhamedshina, noted that there are still some schools in the city that do not have enough seats. “Every year, we see an increase of 10,000 school students - this is a significant challenge both in terms of infrastructure and staffing,”- she said.

“There are schools with up to 13 first grades. Last year we built four modern schools, and this year we built three more. We remain the leaders of Russia in terms of the number of schools and kindergartens being built,”- Ilsur Metshin added.

In the next school year, the department will be providing hot meals for 178 thousand students, an increase of 9 thousand from last year. The head of the city and journalists got acquainted with a two-week menu of free hot meals for elementary school students, including breakfast options with fish, poultry, and meat.

For lunch, students have two options: a set menu for 55 rubles with no ability to choose dishes, or 79 rubles, which includes a side dish, seasonal fruit, meat, poultry, or fish, as well as soup or salad. High school students have the option of eating from a buffet line.

Free meals are provided for primary school students, the children of participants of the special military operation, children with disabilities, and other beneficiaries. “I always say that children can study and dress differently, but at least at school they should eat the same delicious food. This is recommended by doctors and nutritionists. Children's health is very important.  And it is in the first half of the day that the child should receive the full range of necessary nutrients and vitamins,”- Ilsur Metshin stressed.