By Yuko Iseya

The problem of some parents not paying the school lunch expense is growing at elementary and junior high schools throughout the country. It costs about 4,000 yen for elementary school pupils and about 5,000 yen for junior high school pupils every month. There are some cases where parents can't pay the school lunch expense regularly because of their financial situation and there are those who have to pay two times as much or more depending on how many of their children go to elementary and junior high school.

However, more and more families aren't paying the school lunch expense even though they have the ability to pay it. More than a few families object to paying it because they assert the school lunch should be free as a part of compulsory education.

Elementary and junior high schools have warned the families which don't pay the school lunch expense for several months, and if they keep ignoring the warnings some schools will stop serving lunch to those pupils. However, if there are some students who are not allowed to get school lunch, it could lead to them being teased or made fun of by their classmates. Therefore, most schools won't stop serving the school lunch. Since the number of families that don't pay the school lunch expense is increasing, the cost of ingredients has to be reduced. This has affected the lunch menu in some schools.

Each municipality worries about how to tackle the problem of families that don't pay school lunch expenses. In the town of Mikasa, Hokkaido, the school lunch expense for elementary schools is free. According to a survey in 2005, Mikasa has the third highest rate of population decline in Japan. The number of children in each family is also decreasing. Making the school lunch expense free from this April is partly a measure to combat an aging society with a declining birthrate. Mikasa is trying to establish itself as a city that can help people raise their children and stem the flow of citizens moving to other areas. Moreover, it is hoped that its policies will lure many people to move to Mikasa. In Mikasa, 300 pupils in six elementary schools pay no lunch fees. Thus, parents can save 42,000 yen per child each year. It was possible to put this policy in place in Mikasa because it suffers from a decline in population, but it would be impossible to practice the same policy in other cities. The amount budgeted for school lunch expenses for 300 pupils is about 12.6 million yen a year in Mikasa. It would be impossible to continue to pay for all the school lunch expenses during the nine-years of compulsory education. However, creative and compassionate measures need to be implemented for families that have valid reasons for falling behind on paying school lunch expenses.

Think about it. The cost of school lunch each month is about 4,000 yen, and children can get lunch five times a week. According to this rough calculation children can have a well-balanced and delicious lunch for only 200 yen. If there were no school lunch program, could parents make such a healthy meal every day for only 200 yen? Considering that, you can see how beneficial it is that students have a school lunch five days a week at such a low cost.

We must also think more about how to deal with families that never pay the school lunch expense even though they have the ability to pay it. If this is true, it is really regrettable. Children realize that they are getting the school lunch free if their parents don't pay for it. Even if they don't know the fact now, they will as they get older. Parents who don't pay the school lunch expense have to realize how deeply they hurt their children with their behavior. They should obey the decision of the schools or school boards immediately. This problem shouldn't be regarded as a minor issue, considering the influence it will have on the children who shoulder the future of Japan.