Dahnil Anzar: Free Nutritious Meals Programme Constitutionally Sound in Education Budget
Gerindra politician Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak believes the budget allocation for the free nutritious meals programme (MBG) has strong legal standing as an integral part of the government’s human resource development strategy.
According to Dahnil, the budget position for President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship government project within the education budget represents a constitutionally strategic step that does not conflict with existing legislation.
“From a regulatory perspective, Law No. 20 of 2003 and the State Finance Law legitimise nutrition as supporting education operations,” said the Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah in a post on his official X account, @Dahnilanzar on Friday, 27 February 2026.
The project budget, which draws funds from the education allocation, has attracted scrutiny as it is considered to conflict with Article 31 paragraph (4) of the 1945 Constitution, which stipulates that Indonesia’s education budget must be at least 20 per cent.
At a press conference in South Jakarta, Deputy Chair of Commission X of the House of Representatives Maria Yohana Esti Wijayati stated that the MBG project budget of Rp 223.5 trillion is sourced from the education allocation in the 2026 state budget.
Esti noted that according to the 2026 State Budget Law and the appendix of the Presidential Regulation on the breakdown of the state budget, the total education budget is recorded as Rp 769 trillion, with Rp 223.5 trillion of this allocated for the MBG project. “That is officially in the budget appendix,” said the PDI-P politician on Wednesday, 26 February 2026.
The education budget allocation for MBG, which is considered to exceed 20 per cent, subsequently triggered a lawsuit to the Constitutional Court. Those challenging the budget allocation are the Nusantara Learning Garden Foundation together with three students and an honorary teacher.
The plaintiff’s legal team, Abdul Hakim, said one impact of using education funds for MBG is the decline in education spending. He gave the example that education financing has dropped this year from the previous Rp 80 trillion to Rp 34 trillion.
Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak believes that nutrition provision is the cognitive foundation for physical readiness of MBG beneficiaries. However, this pedagogical investment would be wasted without adequate nutritional support.
According to him, the assumption that MBG budget allocation cuts education spending is a mistaken discourse. “Because education allocation for physical development, teachers, and other aspects has actually increased,” he said.