A breakfast program with no substance

The program in fact is worsening the divide between richer universities that can offer the cheap cafeteria breakfast and the poorer ones that can’t.

The government is upping the subsidy to the so-called 1,000-won ($0.77) breakfast at university campuses. The subsidy program will be expanded to 145 universities from the current 41. But the program has little substance.

According to the government, the food program meant to cover school cafeteria breakfast for 690,000 students was used by 1.5 million in March — and 2.34 million by May 7. But the figure doesn’t mean that 2.3 million students were able to get their meal for 1,000 won. Instead, it means that 10,000 students can have the breakfast for 234 days. The subsidy expansion is estimated to cost 2 billion won for the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

The program can end as an exhibitionistic one, as the subsidy is designed to draw more universities than students. In March, the number of students who enjoyed the meal at such a bargain rate fell 30 percent for each university. As a result, the meal could be served to 70 students instead of 90 at a state university in North Jeolla.

That means students must queue up for the cheap meal from early dawn. Although the government promised to increase the benefit, the meal can serve approximately 100 students at the most per university. Because it included more universities, the service would benefit fewer students.

The program gained popularity largely because politicians hyped it to gain favor from young voters ahead of the parliamentary elections next year. The meal that started off at Soonchunhyang University in 2012 gained attention amid the spike in inflation over the last two years. The government has been partly subsidizing the program from 2017 to promote consumption of rice.

Rivalling party heads Kim Gi-hyeon and Lee Jae-myung visited campus sites to campaign for the program, with Kim of the People Power Party (PPP) suggesting affordable meals for lunch and dinner, while Lee of Democratic Party (DP) pitching the offering at all universities around the country.

The 1,000-won meal is an easy campaign sell. It can win sympathy from young voters as well as the elders who would like the idea of students fed with breakfast almost free of charge. Universities were forced to go along with it, but two thirds cannot afford to subsidize the program. The program in fact is worsening the divide between richer universities that can offer the cheap cafeteria breakfast and the poorer ones that can’t.

The government cannot subsidize free breakfast at universities, just as it does to elementary and secondary schools. The voluntary campaign to lower the price of the breakfast was commendable, but politicians are only capitalizing on it for populist purpose. Politicians must stop such populism.