1633 Galileo Galilei forced to recant his Copernican views that the Earth orbits the Sun by the Pope (Vatican only admits it was wrong on Oct 31, 1992!)
1675 Royal Greenwich Observatory established in England by Charles II
1772 Somerset v Stewart court case finds slavery unsupported by English common law, encouraging the abolitionist movement
1848 Beginning of the June Days uprising in Paris by French workers
1865 The CSS Shenandoah fires the last shot of the American Civil War in the Bering Strait to indicate surrender
Historical Events Today
Today in Film & TV
1977 Walt Disney’s “Rescuers” released, first Disney film to get a sequel
Today in Music
1963 “Little” Stevie Wonder aged 13 releases his first single “Fingertips” (first live non-studio recording to go to No. 1 on Billboard)
Today in Sport
1937 Challenger Joe Louis KOs James J Braddock in the 8th round at Chicago’s Comiskey Park for the world heavyweight boxing title
MORE FACTS….
1934 John Dillinger is informally named America’s first Public Enemy Number One
1847 – First ring doughnut supposedly created by Hanson Gregory
Famous Weddings
1894 Harry Houdini marries Bessie Rahner
1958 NBA forward Elgin Baylor (23) weds Ruby Saunder at Mt Olive Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.
1962 American actress-singer Jane Froman (54) weds college friend Rowland Smith
talian club Inter Milan have agreed a deal to sign striker Romelu Lukaku on a season-long loan from Chelsea.
The Blues signed the 29-year-old from Inter for £97.5m in August 2021, but he will return to the Serie A side having struggled last season.
The loan fee for Lukaku is about 8m euros (£6.9m).
The Belgium international scored 15 goals in all competitions for Chelsea last season, with eight in 26 Premier League appearances.
It is understood Lukaku was willing to take a pay cut to rejoin Inter, who won the Serie A title in 2020-21 with him leading their attack.
The Italian club’s financial situation meant it was impossible for them to match Lukaku’s wages or buy the frontman outright.
However, president Steven Zhang got involved personally in the negotiations on Monday, which was viewed as significant.
Lukaku, who left Chelsea to join Everton for £28m in 2014, returned to the Stamford Bridge side last summer on a five-year deal for a club-record fee.
However, he apologized for an interview during the season where he said he was not happy with his role under Blues manager Thomas Tuchel and wanted to return to the Italian club in the near future.
Lukaku scored only three times in his final 15 top-flight outings of the season as Chelsea’s season fizzled out.
Tuchel’s side finished third in the Premier League, while they were beaten by Liverpool on penalties in both the FA Cup and League Cup finals.
Inter finished second in Serie A last season, two points behind city rivals AC Milan. They are also in talks with Juventus forward Paulo Dybala.
The Argentina international, 28, is set to be a free agent when his contract expires at the end of the month.
The signs pointed to one of the greatest players of all time slipping quietly into retirement without the farewell she deserves.
But on Tuesday, Serena Williams made her return to the tennis court – almost exactly a year since her last competitive match and just weeks after many had predicted the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion would never play again.
At Eastbourne’s Devonshire Park, usually the hub of the sleepy Sussex seaside town’s cultural scene and home to a number of theatres, Williams took centre stage.
The 40-year-old American teamed up with Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur – who is third in the WTA’s singles world rankings – in the Eastbourne doubles and the pair won their opening match in an entertaining evening.
Next week Williams is hoping to play in the singles at Wimbledon, where she has won seven of her major titles.
Afterwards, she said she “absolutely” had moments of doubt about whether she would ever play again.
“You know what, I’m literally taking it one day at a time,” she said.
“I really took my time with my hamstring injury so I’m just not making a ton of decisions after this.”
Why there was speculation she might have quietly retired
In April, when her long-time coach Patrick Mouratoglou started working with former world number one Simona Halep, Williams had not played competitively for nine months.
She was midway through her 41st year. There was little evidence she had even been practising.
Further fuel to the speculation about the American’s future was added by the recalling of her comments at the 2021 Australian Open, where she said: “If I ever say farewell, I wouldn’t tell anyone.”
Later that day, in an Instagram story with NFL star Aaron Rodgers, she casually dropped into conversation she was preparing for Wimbledon.
But, still, the announcement that she was heading to Britain to play – an Instagram post of her feet on the grass with a caption saying “SW at SW19. It’s a date.” – had not been seen as a given.
“I think it surprised everyone,” Spanish world number four Paula Badosa said.
“It’s very good to have her back and it really amazed me how she had all this hunger for the game and still has it. I think it is a great inspiration.
“I hope she can be back for much more time.
What has she been doing?
The bio on her Instagram page simply reads: “I’m Olympia’s mum.”
Being a doting mother takes up a lot of Williams’ time these days, but she has also been busy working on her business interests outside tennis.
A clothing line named ‘Serena’ was launched earlier this year, while another part of her fashion portfolio is a jewellery brand.
Williams is among several high-profile backers of Angel City FC, an American women’s football club which also boasts Billie Jean King, actresses Natalie Portman, Eva Longoria and Jennifer Garner among its investors.
Earlier this year, she raised $111m to launch a venture capital fund, Serena Ventures, which invests in entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds.
Asked if she could see herself playing into next year, she said: “I don’t know, I can’t answer that. But I love tennis and I love playing, or else I wouldn’t be out here, right?
“But I also love what I do off the court, what I’ve built with Serena Ventures, it’s interesting. So, it’s a lot.”
How Williams’ arrival left Eastbourne ‘starstruck’
After cancelling a practice session on Monday, Williams arrived at the Devonshire Park practice courts at about 14:30 BST and word quickly spread around the grounds about what was going on.
In a far corner of the site, Williams put on her tennis shoes and stepped on to a court in the shadow of Eastbourne’s theatre hub.
The stage was set – for the rehearsal, at least.
Hordes of long lenses pointed in the direction of Williams. Tons of camera phones were pressed up against the net separating the court from the watching fans.
Jabeur, who said earlier in the week she “didn’t know” why Williams had picked to play with her, turned up shortly after.
The pair had previously “talked a little bit”, added the Tunisian, but “never really about tennis”.
After exchanging a warm handshake and even warmer smiles, the pair limbered up with a gentle knock, practised some volleys and hit some serves before teaming up on the same side of the net for the first time.
The chemistry started to build as they played some points against Williams’ coach Eric Hectman and hitting partner Jarmere Jenkins.
When the curtain raised for real on Eastbourne’s centre court, the pair also grew in cohesion and confidence.
On why she chose Jabeur, Williams said: “When we saw her name in, it was immediately like, OK, she would be great to play with.
“I love her game, I love her style of play. She has a great volley, clearly has a great drop shot and she has been having a phenomenal couple of years.
“It just made a lot of sense, it was a good solution for me.”
The crowd in Eastbourne certainly agreed. Hundreds stayed until the end of a match that finished at 20:27 local time on a summer evening which had turned chillier as the match progressed
“That was certainly worth hanging on for,” said one ecstatic female fan in front of the media seats. “What a night.”
She wasn’t the only fan pleased with her day out.
As Williams left the practice court, heading back to the Winter Garden which is usually used for cabaret events and conferences, she signed some autographs for a lucky few.
Eden John, 8, watched her idol Serena Williams play live for the first time on her Eastbourne return
One of them was eight-year-old Eden John, who plays tennis every day at her club in Eastbourne and has pictures on her bedroom wall of Williams.
“You should have filmed my face the first time I saw her!” she said before pulling a face which conveyed how she was mesmerised by seeing Williams in the flesh.
Eden’s dad Andre added: “She was a bit starstruck, she couldn’t take her eyes of her when she was hitting. To see a legend like that in our backyard is incredible.”
Now they will get another chance when Williams and Jabeur return to Devonshire Park for a second act on Thursday.
A new study has indicated that sitting down for more than eight hours in a day could increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD).
It also noted that people who sit for too long are equally more prone to heart disease complications leading to death.
The study further indicated that reduction of inactive time, as well as increasing physical activity, could be crucial to easing the burden of untimely deaths and cardiovascular disease worldwide
The population-based cohort study which was published in the JAMA Cardiology studied 105,677 participants from 21 countries, aged 35 to 70.
Participants were enrolled from January 1, 2003, and followed up until August 31, 2021.
Out of 105,677 participants, 61,925 were women and the mean age was 50 years.
The researchers made use of data from the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology study and discovered that longer sitting time during the day was linked to an increased risk of premature death and major cardiovascular disease events, such as cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stroke, or heart failure.
According to findings from the study, individuals who sat for eight or more hours daily had a 20 per cent increased risk for all-cause death and major cardiovascular disease events, compared to those who sat for four hours per day.
The researchers also discovered that when ranked by country income levels, the association of long sitting time with death and major CVD was found to be stronger in lower- and lower-middle-income countries in comparison with high-income and upper-middle-income countries.
The cohort study said, “Compared with those who reported sitting time less than four hours per day and high physical activity level, participants who sat for eight or more hours per day experienced a 17 per cent to 50 per cent higher associated risk of the composite outcome across physical activity levels; and the risk was attenuated along with increased physical activity levels.
“High amounts of sitting time were associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality and CVD in economically diverse settings, especially in low-income and lower-middle-income countries.
“Reducing sedentary time along with increasing physical activity might be an important strategy for easing the global burden of premature deaths and CVD.”
The Association of Resident Doctors at Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife, on Tuesday, embarked on a two-day warning strike over an alleged assault on one of them by a nurse.
The resident doctors said the warning strike would commence from 8 am Tuesday, June 21, 2022, to 7:59 am on Thursday, June 23, 2022.
The doctors made their decision known in a press release made available to LN247 and signed by the association’s president, Dr. Nana Fayowole; General Secretary, Dr. Anuforo Anthony; and the Public Relations Officer, Dr. Adelaja Olasubomi.
According to them, a female doctor, identified as Dr. Oluwatosin Bello was forcefully held hostage, confined, and verbally assaulted while discharging her duty, by a senior nurse in the Female Adult Orthopaedic Ward of the hospital on June 16.
“The female house officer had gone to the said ward with her team which comprised different cadres of doctors, to carry out a procedure on the only patient in the ward at that time.
“The team on arrival at 4:30 pm informed the nurse on duty.
“After obtaining the patient’s consent, they requested a trolley from the nurse who pointed the trolley to them and told them to get it.
“In order not to waste time because the team already got a call from children emergency to see a patient, the house officer willingly brought the trolley.
“After the procedure, the team discarded all sharps used. They wrapped the empty kit with the drape used and kept it on the lowest shelf of the trolley and wiped the topmost part of the trolley clean and moved the trolley away from the patient’s bedside.
“They were leaving the ward when the house officer was accosted that she should go and discard the waste. The house officer was the last to leave so the nurse went to block her way asking her to go and discard the waste and when she didn’t answer, the matron locked the gate with the padlock.
“As if that was not enough, she started shouting and rained a lot of insults on her to the extent that nurses from other wards came to plead with her to stop and open the gate but she declined.
“Despite several pleas, the nurse vowed never to let the doctor out no matter who comes from Abuja. We have the video evidence of this incident. It took the effort of many people to persuade the nurse to release the doctor.”
The executives of the association said an emergency general meeting was called on June 17 and decided to embark on a total 48-hour warning strike.
They also asked “The hospital management to institute a fact-finding committee to look into the incident at FAOW and appropriate disciplinary measures be meted against whoever is found culpable, failure of which the house will re-examine the situation at the July 2022 OGM.
“The hospital management should come up with a document detailing the job description of all clinical staff within the next four weeks, failure of which the house will re-examine the situation at the July 2022 OGM. We believe this is in line with best global practice.”
Dr. Fayowole said “We have given them (the management) ample time to do the needful. We stated our demands in our communique and they have constituted a fact-finding committee to look at what happened and make recommendations.
“They have between now and four weeks to tick all the boxes of our request before the next congress.”
The Federal Ministry of Health has said that emphasis is now shifting from the urgency for the country to manufacture its own vaccines, to have the basic technology to know how to produce vaccines.
The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja at the bi-weekly Ministerial Press briefing on COVID-19 and other infectious diseases in the country.
According to reports that the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Finance, announced the sum of N10 billion for the production of vaccines in Nigeria, to fight coronavirus.
Following the announcement of the disbursement of the sum to the Ministry of Health for the development of the COVID-19 vaccine, the Joint Committee scheduled a meeting with the Ministers of Finance and Health for clarifications on the funds.
On May 11, 2021, The Minister of Health, Ehanire, said that the N10 billion earmarked by the National Assembly for the local production of COVID-19 vaccines was intact while explaining why local manufacturing of the COVID-19 vaccines cannot start in the country at the moment as the world continues to fight vaccines nationalism.
On April 21, 2022, President Muhammadu Buhari, directed the Minister of Health, to submit a progress report by the end of May 2022 on the indigenous production of vaccines in the country.
During the bi-weekly meeting, responding to a question by the NAN correspondent, the minister said Nigeria is yet to make do with the 39,800,000 doses of vaccines procured by the Federal Government – The single-shot J&J vaccine through the African Vaccine Acquisition Team (AVAT) of the African Union, a facility provided by AFREXIMBANK,”.
“The country has been making use of donated vaccines,“ he said, indicating that Nigeria has learnt key lessons from the pandemic, including that countries must look inward for medical supplies and other health commodities.
“So the urgency to be producing our vaccines now is a bit reduced because we still have few donations. We have the ones that the government has procured that we are yet to use. The urgency is now to have the technology to know how to produce vaccines.
“So we have brought together all our experts, including the producers of vaccines and manufacturers to find a way to have the technology in case of future outbreaks.
“We’re bringing together all our research capacities or assets, to have that knowledge, that skill or the technology for indigenous domestic vaccines production in case of any other such attacks,” he explained.
The minister said that the Technical Working Group (TWG) on local vaccine manufacturing would pursue that avenue for research and development.
Dr. Osagie Ehanire
According to him, “what is clear is that there’ll be days for the vaccine. There is also research going on in different countries trying to find the same vaccines and Nigeria wants to be part of that research, such as development efforts. For us to be part of it, we must have the technology, knowledge and all other requirements.”
Speaking on Mr. President’s directive, Ehanire said the directive was given when the leadership of the Nigerian Integrated Biopharmaceuticals Industries Consortium, visited him to discuss vaccine manufacturing in the country.
The minister said that the FMOH has continued to drive collaboration with investors for vaccines, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices, in a move towards self-sufficiency in the country.
NAN recalls that the West Africa Health Organisation had said “boosting local vaccine production will save lives, boost public health and strengthen the region’s economy.”
WAHO said that this would also encourage job creation and trigger technology sharing for the overall development of the region, indicating that this was why the region constituted the Regional Taskforce to conduct a feasibility study on vaccine production.
It added that the key to a successful local vaccine manufacturing was the market, which the region already has.
“The decision of the 58th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authorities of Heads of State and Government held virtually on January 21, 2021, was to develop a strategy for the availability of anti-COVID-19 vaccines in the ECOWAS region and establish the Regional Revolving Fund for the pooled procurement mechanism to accelerate access to vaccines.
“The Africa Centre for Disease Control and Preventive (Africa CDC and African Vaccines Manufacturing (PAVM)-Framework for Action meeting held in Kigali, Rwanda, from Dec. 6 to 7, 2021, on the fourth objective was to build the momentum of vaccine manufacture hubs and pilot a drug API-final drug product Hub programme – Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API).“
The member states have also aligned their national and regional policies and strategies around local production, noting that this would help economies of all sizes build synergies, share the workload and avoid costly duplication.
The ECOWAS region shares 35 per cent of vaccine market volume demand on the African continent, driven by population size.
The International College of Surgeons (ICS) has called for the establishment of a Health Services Development Bank with single digit interest rate as applicable in agriculture sector and industrial development.
This is contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the ICS Annual General Meeting (AGM), the Nigerian Section and Scientific Conference on Monday in Abuja.
The communiqué was signed by Dr Maurice Ezeoke, President ICS Nigerian Section and Prof. Lucky Onotai, Secretary-General, both fellows of ICS.
The communiqué said that such measure would enable easy access and affordable capital for investors utilising the model.
It observed that medical brain drain of the country had reached alarming proportions and urged the government to take urgent steps to stem the tide.
It further frowned at the alarming security situation in the country, which was impacting negatively on the health status of Nigerians.
The body, therefore, appealed to the government to act decisively to mitigate the situation.
“Brain drain and alarming security situation in the country have impacted grossly and negatively on the health of Nigerians.
“This health issues seem at the moment to be catered for by the private sector and free medical outreaches as conducted by ICS.
“The ICS-NS therefore recommends that the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model of growing health services seems to be the best approach and therefore should be encouraged and strengthened,’’ it noted.
The communiqué recommended a favourable and conducive environment for retention of home base medical expertise and frequent visits or complete return of those in the diaspora.
It further urged the government to establish medical cities for ease of acquisition of land by investors in the medical field.
“Government should also be involved in sponsoring, training and development of medical expertise for the nation, which at the moment seems to be left in the hands of individuals and the private sector.
“To achieve this training and development of expertise, budgetary allocations for health needs to be significantly improved with a view to ultimately reaching the WHO recommended percentage of national budgets,’’ it said.
The communiqué appreciated the efforts of various governments towards enhancing the health of Nigerians through the recently gazetted National Health Insurance Act 2022.
The communiqué assured of the readiness of the college to support all policies and measures by government aimed at improving the health of the populace.
Teachers on the Isle of Man will be paid 1% more than some counterparts in England, despite one of the largest teaching unions rejecting the deal.
The National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) formally threw out the offer last month.
About 400 of its members are currently engaged in a dispute short of striking.
However, the offer was accepted by the National Association of Head Teachers and the National Education Union.
Manx Education Minister Julie Edge said the pay rise “recognises and rewards our hardworking and dedicated teachers and lecturers”.
She said it would also make Manx schools and University College Isle of Man (UCM) even more attractive to the profession.
The NASUWT warned it would now consider escalating its industrial action, “potentially up to and including strike action”.
General Secretary Patrick Roach said the offer represented the largest single annual real terms cut to teachers’ pay in the Isle of Man since 2010.
He said once inflation was taken into account, teachers had suffered a 30% pay cut since then.
Pay for teachers on the Isle of Man is linked to England, where a pay freeze was put in place for 2021-22.
Teachers in London are paid a premium to reflect the higher cost of living, while those in areas surrounding the capital receive a “London fringe” uplift.
Manx teachers will receive 1% above this London fringe rate.
The new pay arrangements will come into force for Island staff next month, with arrears backdated to September 2021 due to be paid in August.
The Federal Government says it disbursed N86 billion for the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund as of June.
The Secretary of the Oversight Committee of the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Chris Isokpunwu, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja at a ministerial media conference on the developments in the health sector.
According to him, about N56 billion has so far been disbursed to the states out of the amount stated.
He said that the fund, inaugurated in 2019, was meant to strengthen public health facilities.
”With those releases, more than 7,000 Primary Health Care centers get operational funds quarterly to provide for essential medicines, transportation for vaccines, and other medical consumables in the health sector.
”It also provided for human resources for health and more than 1,500 midwives have been engaged with the fund.
”It is also used to maintain the building and infrastructure and equipment in the PHCs,” he said, indicating that the goal was to ensure that there was at least one functional PHC in each of the 8,809 political wards in the country.
He also said that about 83 per cent of the target had been reached as over 7,500 PHCs had already been reached.
Isokpunwu said that the fund was established to strengthen the PHC system, provide a basic minimum package of health services for all Nigerians, especially the poor and indigents, and provide emergency medical treatment.
According to him, the basic minimum package of health services is a comprehensive package of preventive, curative, and rehabilitative provisions including education for the prevention of illnesses and the promotion of the health of Nigerians.
Basic Healthcare Provision Fund
”As of today, 1,040 million poor and indigent Nigerians have been enrolled to have access to a basic minimum package of health services.
”This means that these people that have been enrolled in 35 out of the 36 states and the FCT now have access to free medical treatment for common ailments and even surgeries, taking care of a broad spectrum of health conditions that Nigerians may and will be exposed to.”
He, however, said because the fund was not sufficient, the targets currently are the poor Nigerians who could not afford medical treatment.
He said that the goal is also to reduce the out-of-pocket expenses they incurred.
This, he said, would pull them out of poverty and contribute to the federal government’s objective of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in the next 10 years.
He said: ”750,000 of them are currently accessing the services and more than 6,500 facilities are receiving funds for the treatment of these people.”
He said that it would ensure the provision of guaranteed emergency medical treatment for all Nigerians, adding that arrangements were at an advanced stage to inaugurate it soon.
“Upon its inauguration, all Nigerians will be guaranteed in the event of an emergency that they will receive treatment at urgent care centres and for those poor ones who cannot pay, the BHPF will guarantee their payment.
”Any Nigerian that has an emergency will be treated without the question of who will pay.”
He also said that under the fund, sickle cell anemia was covered and patients with the disease would be able to access care free of charge.
On reproductive health, the Director of Family Health, Dr. Salma Kolo, said that more than 3,700 girls were saved from Female Genital Mutilation as a result of the awareness campaign that took place in five states – Ebonyi, Imo, Oyo, Ekiti, and Osun.
According to her, there are more than 200 million people, women and girls affected and living with FGM globally and out of these, more than two million are at risk in Nigeria.
She, however, said that to reverse the trend, more than 730,000 men and religious leaders, and traditional leaders have been trained on the negative impact of FGM.
”The boys were also not left behind. Over 800 boys were sensitised and trained so that they could work together as partners to protect their sisters from such criminal practices that happen in our respective communities.
”So the project will also be scaled up to other parts of Nigeria, especially in the northern part.
”Jigawa and Kaduna states have been identified for this and awareness will continue to be created until we are able to totally eliminate female genital mutilation.”
She said that Nigeria remains committed to the provision of quality access to family planning commodities and services to women of reproductive age group, adolescents, and girls, including men to ensure that the nation has the right size for its families.
”So part of what was launched by the Minister of Health was the FP 2030 commitment. This is a global commitment, of which Nigeria is part.
”The minister, in collaboration with commissioners from all the 36 states of the federation and all relevant partners, including the civil society organisations, developed a national commitment that is all-encompassing, adopting the bottom-up approach.
”So this was signed, and we are now working on a strategy for implementation.
”We have adopted the balanced scorecard approach to developing that strategy and we have already started engaging with all the key partners to ensure that it is rolled out at all levels, especially at the community level.”
Kolo said that the benefit of the federal government’s commitment to the programme was that there would be a provision of quality family planning commodities and services to Nigerians of reproductive age, both men and women.
She added that the nation would leverage domestic resources so that there would be sustainable financing for family planning commodities in Nigeria without overreliance on donors.
She believes that Nigeria would gradually be self-sufficient in the provision of family planning services.
Reception class children in Wales will get free school meals from September – the first in a rollout for all primary school pupils.
The country’s approximately 272,000 primary school pupils are set to get free lunches by 2024.
The rollout is part of a deal between Plaid Cymru and the Labour Welsh government.
Ministers say they are working with local authorities to ensure it starts as quickly as possible to help cushion the effect of high cost of living.
A total of £225m has been set aside to pay for it over the next three years.
From September, Wales’ 22 local authorities will begin receiving the money, with pupils aged four and five the first to get their free lunches.
The mother of a seven-year-old Flynn, from Newport told Radio Wales Breakfast that free meals would be a “boost” to many families.
Claire said she feels that as children get older some can be singled out for receiving free school meals adding that as children got older, becoming singled out for receiving free school meals was a real problem.
Dilys Ellis-Jones, head teacher of Ysgol OM Edwards in Llanuwchllyn, Gwynedd, expressed pleasure at the news adding that families are facing tough times with everyday costs of living.
Ellis-Jones added that for families to be able to have free school meals is great news while insisting that no child should go hungry in school or come to school hungry.
The scheme is seen as a key part of helping people during the cost of living crisis.
Owen Evans, chief executive of the Children in Wales group, added: “We would always like to see free school meals or payments reach as many people as possible, as quickly as possible.
“But I think within the constraints and the context we are very pleased to see a time-frame put forward that commences this process and makes sure that this financial year some people in Wales will begin benefiting from this policy.”
On her part, Laura Doel, NAHT Cymru director, supports the policy but said the implementation has been “quite rushed” and that some schools are “struggling with the ambitious timetable”.
Conservatives in the Senedd are opposed to the expansion of free school meals. Education spokeswoman Laura Anne Jones said the government should “focus their resources on the students that need it most”
Jane Dodds, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, called it an “extremely welcome development that should go some way towards addressing the extremely high child poverty rates in Wales”.
Years 1 and 2 are due to get them from April 2023 ahead of the full implementation in the 2023-24 school year.
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