Center Party lauds free school lunches as its No. 1 achievement
Taking stock of 2014, Center Party deputy chairman Kadri Simson said free or discounted school meals throughout general education were the biggest success for the party.
Simson said that the free school lunch program would reach all students this year.
"If we look back in time, the payment of the school lunch support has been expanded step by step," she said. In 2002 the then education minister Mailis Reps established the support for the first to fourth grades and in 2006 up to the ninth grade and vocational schools.
This year - starting today, actually - secondary school students will have their lunches partially defrayed by the state as well.
Simson also emphasized the Center Party would look to form the next government after March 1 elections.
"Because of the interim government, 2014 proved to be a long campaign year," she told uudised.err.ee. "[2014] gave Center Party assurance that people expect political change and they see us as a clear alternative to the Reform Party's policy.
"We have proposed a tax reform that lowers the tax burden for ordinary working folk, but would, through restoring classical corporate income tax and European progressive income tax, also give the state additional resources for increasing security, education and rural life," she said.
The latest polls conducted for ERR show that the Reform Party is leading all comers with over 30 percent of the vote among decided voters, but the Center Party is a solid second. Another poll for a daily showed the two parties neck and neck.
Uudised.err.ee polled officials of the four main parties on what they feel to be the biggest success.
Editor: K. RIkken