Education Budget Remains at 20 Per Cent of State Budget, Misbakhun Assures Allocation for Free Nutritious Meal Programme Will Not Reduce Education Share
Kompas.com – Chairman of Commission XI of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Mukhamad Misbakhun, has affirmed that the allocation of the budget for the Free Nutritious Meal Programme (MBG) will not reduce the education budget, which has been set at 20 per cent of the total state budget.
He stated that the government’s commitment to strengthening the education sector remains consistent as part of efforts to prepare a superior generation for the future. The constitutional mandate regarding the minimum allocation of 20 per cent of the education budget remains in effect.
With the state budget continuing to increase each year, the nominal education budget has also increased.
Based on Presidential Regulation (Perpres) Number 118 of 2025 concerning the Details of the State Budget for the 2026 Fiscal Year, the education sector receives an allocation of IDR 769 trillion, which is distributed to various ministries and institutions.
One of the recipient institutions is the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), which receives IDR 223.5 trillion to implement the Free Nutritious Meal Programme (MBG).
Therefore, according to him, the budget policy for this programme implements a cross-cutting policy approach.
“The public must understand that the beneficiaries of the MBG reach 84 million people, with the main target being children and students throughout Indonesia, so a cross-cutting policy occurs from the budget policy side of this programme,” said Misbakhun in a written statement on Thursday (26/2/2026).
The Golkar Party politician explained that the allocation of part of the budget that overlaps with the function of education is a strategy to strengthen the nutrition of Indonesian children, most of whom are of school age.
This approach, said Misbakhun, is in line with the principle that the budget follows the function of the programme.
“When the government expands the number and strengthens the beneficiaries of the MBG, a cross-cutting budget policy occurs. This budget allocation strategy is the full authority of the government as the owner of the mandate for the operationalization of the state budget,” Misbakhun emphasized.
Misbakhun emphasized that the government has never reduced the allocation of the education infrastructure budget.
Instead, he said, strengthening the education sector continues, including through the construction of Community Schools in various remote areas, which is carried out by the Ministry of Social Affairs as the technical implementer.
In 2026, Misbakhun assessed that the MBG programme has started to run smoothly in several areas that have active Nutrition Service Units (SPPG). The beneficiaries are said to have enjoyed the presence of the programme.
According to him, the MBG shows that the state not only provides decent school buildings but also ensures that children who study in them receive adequate nutrition so that they can absorb knowledge to the maximum.
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