{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1702181,
        "msgid": "primary-school-pupil-in-east-manggarai-ntt-writes-letter-to-prabowo-about-free-nutritious-meals-programme-1777251109",
        "date": "2026-04-27 06:53:08",
        "title": "Primary School Pupil in East Manggarai, NTT, Writes Letter to Prabowo about Free Nutritious Meals Programme",
        "author": "",
        "source": "CNN_ID",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Social Policy",
        "summary": "A fifth-grade pupil from a remote primary school in East Manggarai, Nusa Tenggara Timur, has penned an open letter to President Prabowo Subianto questioning the delay in implementing the government's flagship Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme at her school and expressing fears over recent food poisoning incidents linked to the initiative elsewhere. In her letter, the girl proposes redirecting funds directly to schools or parents for better management and prioritising urgent needs such as school supplies, teacher welfare, and infrastructure repairs in disadvantaged 3T areas. The letter highlights ongoing challenges in delivering central government programmes to isolated regions and calls for a more targeted approach to educational support in underprivileged communities.",
        "content": "<p>An open letter from a primary school pupil in the 3T (frontier,\noutermost, underdeveloped) area of East Manggarai Regency, East Nusa\nTenggara (NTT), has captured attention. Myscha, a fifth-grade student at\nSD Compang Ngeles, questions the fate of the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG)\nprogramme at her school while voicing her fears regarding the prevalent\ncases of food poisoning. In the letter written on Sunday (26\/4), Myscha\nexpresses bewilderment that she and her friends have yet to experience\nthe benefits of this flagship government programme. \u201cOn TV and YouTube,\nI see other regions have been running it for a long time. Friends there\nare already eating, but at our school, up to today, there is nothing,\u201d\nwrites the young girl who attends school in Rana Gapang Village, Elar\nSubdistrict. The school\u2019s location in a remote and hard-to-reach area is\nsuspected to be the main reason why the programme\u2019s distribution has not\nyet reached their region. Not only about the delay, Myscha also reveals\nher deep concerns after seeing news of food poisoning cases allegedly\nstemming from the MBG programme in several areas. \u201cI\u2019m scared, Sir.\nScared of headaches and stomach aches. If one day MBG comes to my\nschool, I don\u2019t want to eat it,\u201d she states honestly to CNNIndonesia.com\non Sunday (26\/4). As a solution, Myscha has a simple yet wise\nsuggestion. She hopes that if the budget is indeed available, it would\nbe better to disburse it directly to the school or parents. \u201cIs it okay\nif the money is given directly to the school or to my mum and dad? So we\ncan manage it ourselves. Because we know best what we want to eat. We\nalso know that mum\u2019s cooking tastes the best and is safe,\u201d she writes.\nFurthermore, this primary school child suggests that the budget would be\nbetter allocated to needs that she considers far more pressing in 3T\nareas. According to Myscha, there are three main priorities that need\nattention: providing school equipment (bags, books, uniforms, shoes),\nimproving teacher welfare, and repairing the school\u2019s concerning\nfacilities. \u201cRoof made of used corrugated iron, fragile walls, many\nbroken chairs and desks, walls and roof sometimes leak. The library\nlacks books,\u201d she details the condition of her school. \u201cI\u2019m sure if\nteachers are prosperous and the school is good, we will definitely\nbecome smart, Sir. No need to fear poisoning either,\u201d she adds\nconvincingly. As of this report, there has been no official response\nfrom the East Manggarai Regency Education Office or the National\nNutrition Agency regarding the content of this letter. Myscha\u2019s letter\nis planned to be sent directly to the State Palace and disseminated\nthrough social media to garner attention from the central\ngovernment.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/primary-school-pupil-in-east-manggarai-ntt-writes-letter-to-prabowo-about-free-nutritious-meals-programme-1777251109",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}