BGN Nabire Uses School Orientation to Socialise Free Nutritious Meal Programme

The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) in Nabire is utilising the Masa Pengenalan Lingkungan Sekolah (MPLS) school orientation period to socialise the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme to new students and parents. This effort is in preparation for the expansion of services for the 2026/2027 academic year. Marsel Asyerem, the BGN Regional Coordinator for Nabire, stated on Monday that the socialisation is being conducted because some target schools are still holding MPLS, meaning the nutritious meal service has not yet been provided. “We are using the MPLS period to socialise the MBG programme to new students and their parents so they understand its benefits and can give their consent,” he said. He explained that parental consent is one of the requirements before students can receive the benefits of the MBG programme. According to him, on the first day after the school holidays, only five out of the 14 Nutrition Fulfilment Service Units (SPPG) in Nabire resumed serving MBG meals at six schools, ranging from kindergarten to senior high school level. The five operational SPPGs are Kalibobo, Sriwini 2, Sriwini 3, Gerimulyo, and Yaro. The other nine SPPGs will begin operations after the target schools finish their MPLS activities. In addition to the socialisation, the agency is also waiting for updated student data from schools, as student numbers are expected to have increased following new student admissions. “A school that previously had around 500 students has now grown to about 800 students. However, we need the data by name and address before the service can be provided,” he said. He estimates that all SPPGs in Nabire can fully resume MBG services next week after schools complete MPLS and submit the student data. He added that over the past week, all SPPGs have carried out various operational preparations, from briefing employees on standard operating procedures (SOP) and cleaning kitchens to ensuring all facilities are ready for use.