Cabinet Secretary Teddy: MBG Budget Approved by Parliament, Led by PDIP Chair
Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya responded to the controversy over the allocation of the free nutritious meals or MBG budget in the 2026 state budget. The MBG allocation in this year’s budget was previously criticised by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), which argued that the programme was appropriating the education budget allocation.
Teddy explained that the education budget for 2026 amounts to 20 per cent of the state budget. This figure aligns with the constitutional mandate on mandatory spending in the education sector.
According to Teddy, the government and political parties in parliament have agreed on the allocation of mandatory education spending for various programmes. “The allocation was jointly agreed last year by the government, parliament, and parliament’s budget committee, which is also chaired by the PDIP,” Teddy said at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Friday, 27 February 2026.
Teddy therefore argued that the narrative claiming MBG is taking from the education budget allocation is incorrect. The allocation of funds for various types of education programmes in the state budget has been jointly agreed. “All of this, including MBG, is a foundation to improve education going forward,” he said.
The MBG programme, according to Teddy, aims to enhance the quality of human resources, particularly for students at all levels of education from early childhood through upper secondary school.
In the 2026 state budget, Teddy said, the allocation for education programmes has not decreased. “The fact is that no strategic education programme from the previous period has stopped operating now,” he stated.
Teddy said no education programmes have been halted after MBG began operating. He even claimed that the government has added to such programmes.
Teddy cited several education sector programmes from President Prabowo’s administration, including the Indonesia Smart Card, People’s Schools, and the purchase of 280,000 digital televisions for school learning.
The PDIP previously denied the government’s claim that MBG does not reduce the education budget allocation in the 2026 state budget. Maria Yohana Esti Wijayanti, Deputy Chair of Commission X in parliament from the PDIP faction, said the MBG budget of Rp 223.5 trillion is sourced from the 2026 education allocation totalling Rp 769 trillion.
According to Esti, this is evidenced in the 2026 State Budget Law and the annex to the Presidential Regulation detailing the state budget allocation. “It is clearly stated there that the Rp 769 trillion education budget, including Rp 223.5 trillion for MBG,” she said during a press conference at the PDIP School of Politics in South Jakarta on Wednesday, 25 February 2026.