Cabinet Secretary Teddy's Statement on Free Nutritious Meal Programme and Education Budget

Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya has assured the public that the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meal Programme (MBG) under President Prabowo Subianto’s administration does not disrupt education programmes and budgets.

Teddy stated that this assurance was provided to address misleading narratives circulating amongst the public. “I want to address the mistaken narrative about whether the MBG programme reduces education programmes and budget. My answer is no,” he said in a statement to journalists on Friday (27 February).

Rather, Teddy said that under Prabowo’s administration, several education programmes have been maintained and even expanded. Programmes that continue to operate include the Smart Indonesia Card and Program Indonesia Pintar.

Meanwhile, programmes that have been expanded include Sekolah Rakyat (People’s Schools).

Specifically regarding Sekolah Rakyat, as of last year, the government had established 166 units that can accommodate between 16,000 and 20,000 students. This year, the government will construct an additional 100 schools.

“Through Sekolah Rakyat, children who cannot attend school, have dropped out, or have never attended school are enrolled at Sekolah Rakyat. They are provided with accommodation, education, nutritious meals, and healthcare is guaranteed,” he said.

In addition to building Sekolah Rakyat, Teddy stated that the Prabowo administration has also renovated numerous damaged schools. Teddy said that the total number of schools repaired in 2025 reached 16,000 units.

Meanwhile, the total budget allocated exceeded Rp17 trillion.

“Some people say there are neglected schools, and that’s true, but that’s an old problem—damaged schools, some in poor condition. However, we must remember that schools fall under regional government authority. SMAs are under gubernatorial authority, whilst primary and junior secondary schools are under regency and municipal authority. But during President Prabowo’s tenure, schools that were previously damaged and unresolved are being renovated,” he said.

In addition to repairing damaged schools, Teddy said the government is also improving education quality by providing digital televisions.

In 2025, 280,000 digital televisions have been provided across 210,000 schools.

“Therefore, no programme has been discontinued. All programmes are running and have even been expanded,” he said.

Teddy also denied that MBG comes at the expense of contract teachers or disrupts teaching staff income.

He said that the issue of contract teachers falls under regional government authority. The government has already provided incentives.

From 2025 onwards, incentives have been increased to Rp400,000 under President Prabowo’s administration.

Meanwhile, for non-permanent teachers, the Prabowo administration increased salaries from Rp1.5 million to Rp2 million as of last year.

“The most significant relief for teachers has been the provision of honour allowances through regional government transfers. Previously, local government provided this with transfers occurring every three months. Last year, the president issued an instruction for monthly payments to teachers, and this has already been implemented,” he said.