The Indonesian Government Evaluates Recipients of Free Nutritious Meals
The government has begun tightening the recipient list for the Free Nutritional Meals (MBG) Program. Agustina Arumsari, Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), confirmed that students from families in deciles 8, 9, and 10 will no longer be included in the program’s beneficiary group.
According to Agustina, this policy is part of the government’s efforts to ensure the MBG budget is more targeted and prioritized for those truly in need.
“Students from families in deciles 8, 9, and 10 will no longer be eligible for the Free Nutritional Meals Program,” Agustina said.
However, the government is still developing implementation mechanisms on the ground, especially for schools with students from diverse economic backgrounds. The scheme is considered necessary to ensure the program’s effective implementation.
Agustina explained that one of the challenges being discussed is the condition of schools whose students are both beneficiary groups and those no longer eligible to receive MBG.
“We are still discussing the various dynamics emerging on the ground, including schools that have students from both beneficiary and non-beneficiary groups,” she said.
She added that President Prabowo Subianto has requested that any policy changes be implemented carefully, given that the MBG Program has now reached tens of millions of recipients in various regions.
According to Agustina, the government is also considering the social impact of implementing the new policy. One major concern is the potential for psychological problems to arise in the school environment if only some students receive free nutritious meals, while others do not.
“The psychological aspect is our concern. We don’t want to have a child in one class who receives MBG while their classmates do not, which would create undesirable social impacts,” she explained.
Therefore, the government is continuing to refine the MBG implementation scheme to ensure that the policy remains on target, is implemented fairly, and does not create new problems in the educational environment.
