More than 80,000 children receive free school supplies with government support

Attila Sztojka highlighted that the Hungarian government, which seeks to provide opportunity-creating measures for disadvantaged people primarily through learning and work tools, is also paying attention to disadvantaged children and families in connection with the start of the school year.

The Klebelsberg Center is providing free school supplies to 81,000 children this year within the framework of the project entitled “Providing basic financial support for needy families raising school-age children” with the identification number EFOP Plusz-5.3.1-24-2024-00001, the State Secretary explained.

He recalled that the program started in 2024 and will last until the beginning of the 2029/2030 school year. He also mentioned that over the six years, a total of 430,200 school supplies are planned to be distributed to needy students in grades 1-8, both in state and non-state-run institutions.

The project is being implemented with the support of the European Union, co-financed by the Hungarian state, from the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) resources, for which the government provides domestic budget resources every year. This ensures that the support reaches families with nationwide coverage, and that those children in need who do not directly live in the target areas of the EU project also have access to the school supplies. The support is considered a non-refundable grant. The total grant amount is 6.9 billion forints.

Attila Sztojka said that within the framework of the program, those in grades 1-8. Children studying in the 1st grade, full-time, who live in the settlements of the beneficiary districts, receive regular child protection benefits, and come from particularly disadvantaged or cumulatively disadvantaged families can receive free school supplies.