School canteens and the reduction of school dropout in Romania at the end of the 19th century

Abstract

The modernization of education in Romania was provided for in the Public Instruction Law of 1864,
as well as in other laws that complemented it. Starting in 1864, elementary education in Romania became free
and compulsory to increase the literacy rate among the population.
However, it was found that the population was refractory to education, and material and human difficulties
prevented the materialization of the two aforementioned principles. As such, it is not surprising that many
school-age children did not attend classes at all, or if they did, they attended them occasionally. It is also not
surprising that the dropout rate was high, especially in the first two years of study.
Therefore, measures have been experimented with to reduce school dropout and improve children's enrollment
and attendance at school.
Among these was the establishment in the last decade of the 19th century of school canteens. These allowed
students to have lunch at school, without having to return home for this purpose. The article analyzes the
context, necessity, and organization of school canteens. At the same time, the problems that arose in the
functioning of the canteens and the extent to which they achieved their objective will be highlighted.
School canteens were a suitable measure, even if they did not produce the expected results. The necessity and
opportunity of the measure remained, as confirmed by the introduction in 2002 of the corn and milk program
for primary and secondary school students.