BGN Denies Student in Kudus Intimidated by SPPG Employee

Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Dadan Hindayana, has denied allegations that a student in Kudus, Central Java, Muhammad Rafif Arsya Maulidi, was intimidated. Rafif had previously sent a letter to President Prabowo Subianto regarding his rejection of the free nutritious meal (MBG) programme. Dadan stated that the case had been resolved properly.

“An investigation revealed no acts of intimidation by employees of SPPG (Nutrition Fulfilment Service Unit) Kudus Dawe Cendan, the SPPG that distributes MBG to the school,” Dadan said via text message on Tuesday night, 7 April 2026.

Dadan stated that during the implementation of the MBG programme at Rafif’s school, SMK NU Miftahul Falah Kudus, no distribution issues or complaints from other students were found. Dadan mentioned that only Rafif rejected the MBG.

BGN, according to Dadan, also conducted a vote among all students at the school, but the majority agreed to continue the MBG. “The vote was conducted by the school. As many as 581 out of 607 students stated they agreed to continue the MBG,” he said.

Dadan’s response does not align with Rafif’s complaints. The Class XI student at SMK NU Miftahul Falah Kudus uploaded evidence of abusive messages sent via direct message to his personal Instagram account.

Chairman of the Student Executive Board at Gadjah Mada University, Tiyo Ardianto, who is also Rafif’s supporter, said there was one Instagram account user who, upon tracing, turned out to be an SPPG Kudus employee. “It’s true (there was intimidation). There was an SPPG employee who verbally abused Rafif,” he said on Tuesday, 7 April 2026.

Tiyo provided screenshots containing abusive messages sent by the perpetrator to Rafif. The messages were sent in Javanese. Tiyo provided the translation.

Here is the content of the messages sent by the perpetrator via direct message to Rafif’s Instagram account.

“Come touch me in front. Dare to DM me or not? Dog, you dog?”

“Never talk about whose backing, but that’s just right.”

The perpetrator not only sent messages to Rafif’s Instagram DM but also left comments on his posts. “Tell him to talk in front of me, so I can headbutt him,” he wrote.

Previously, Rafif sent a letter to President Prabowo to request that his MBG allocation be redirected as additional welfare for teachers.

Rafif hoped that the budget allocation could be used to help teachers whom he considered still not prosperous. “If possible, the funds that should be allocated for me could be redirected as additional allowances for my teachers,” he said when confirmed on Thursday night, 2 April 2026.

Rafif felt sorry seeing the condition of some teachers directly. Especially teachers at his school who continue to teach with dedication, even though their welfare is not yet adequate.

He then simply calculated the value of the MBG benefits he would receive until graduation, which is around Rp 6.75 million. “Currently, I still have about one and a half years of study at SMK. If calculated simply, (18 months x 25 days x Rp 15 thousand = Rp 6,750,000),” he said.

Head of Teacher Advocacy Division of the Education and Teacher Association, Iman Zanatul Haeri, assessed that what Rafif did by writing a letter to the President regarding the rejection of MBG should be appreciated.

Iman stated that what Rafif did shows that the student has critical awareness. “Rafif reached a high cognitive action, evaluating MBG. Even his critical power resulted in an attitude to reject MBG,” said Iman.

Rafif not only has awareness but also empathy. According to Iman, Rafif succeeded in imagining himself in the position of teachers whom he considered still not prosperous. “Empathy is one of the ten core abilities needed for 50 percent of jobs in the future, above AI (artificial intelligence) and coding, according to the Future Jobs Report (2025),” he said.

Not only that, Iman assessed that Rafif also has a sense of solidarity. As in his letter, Rafif invited fellow students not to stay silent and to voice how important teacher welfare is. Because teachers are the pillar of national progress.

Iman assessed that the writing in Rafif’s letter touches the root of the MBG issue, namely how to return education funding to its nature, which is to finance all education matters, including providing decent wages for teachers.

“This child is smarter and reads that MBG is taken from the education budget which should prosper teachers who work for education, not for eating. The constitutional mandate is to enlighten the nation’s life,” he said.

Iman hopes that teachers throughout Indonesia can provide greater space for students to express opinions inside and outside the classroom. In addition, teachers need to elaborate on students’ opinions to become discussion spaces with other friends. “Teachers must also become friends for students to debate thoughts, ideas, and concerns,” said Iman.