Government Defence over Free Nutritious Meals Programme Using Education Budget
The government has defended itself regarding the controversy over the free nutritious meals (MBG) programme using the education budget. In the 2026 state budget, the allocation for President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship programme is included in mandatory education spending.
The issue has recently been highlighted again by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP). According to the opposition party, the MBG allocation of Rp 223.5 trillion is sourced from the education budget in the 2026 state budget.
Deputy Chair of Commission X of the House of Representatives from the PDIP faction, Maria Yohana Esti Wijayati, stated that the MBG allocation in mandatory education spending can be seen in the 2026 State Budget Law and the appendix to the Presidential Regulation detailing the state budget breakdown. In that appendix, she said, the total education budget is listed as Rp 769 trillion, which includes an allocation for MBG worth Rp 223.5 trillion.
“It is officially in the APBN appendix document,” said Esti at a press conference at the PDIP Party School in South Jakarta on Wednesday, 25 February 2026.
The project budget, which draws from the education budget, has attracted scrutiny because it is deemed to contradict Article 31, paragraph (4) of the 1945 Constitution, which states that Indonesia’s education budget must be 20 per cent.
Several officials from President Prabowo’s cabinet subsequently responded to the PDIP statement. They stated that the MBG programme does not reduce education programmes despite falling within mandatory spending in that sector. The following are various government defences regarding the MBG controversy:
MBG is Constitutional in the Education Budget
Gerindra Party politician Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak believes that the budget position for the MBG project has a strong legal foundation as an integral part of human resource development strategy.
According to Dahnil, the budget allocation for President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship project within the education budget is a strategic constitutional step that does not contradict the law.
“In regulatory terms, 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.
Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak argued that meeting nutritional needs is a foundation for cognitive readiness of MBG beneficiaries. However, this pedagogical investment would be wasted without being supported by meeting nutritional needs.
According to him, the assumption that the MBG budget allocation cuts education spending is a misguided discourse. “Because in fact, the allocation of education budget for physical development, teachers, and others has increased,” he said.
Claim That MBG Does Not Reduce Education Programmes
Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya stated that the MBG project does not reduce government programmes in the education sector. Teddy said there are parties who have stated that MBG reduces spending in the education sector.
According to Teddy, the unidentified parties claimed that this policy causes schools to be neglected and teachers to lack adequate welfare. He said he wanted to clarify what he considered to be a misunderstanding. “I want to answer, that is a false narrative,” said Teddy at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Friday, 27 February 2026.
In the 2026 state budget, Teddy said, the allocation for education programmes has not decreased. “The fact is there is no strategic education programme from the previous period that is not running now,” he said.
Teddy said no education programme has been halted since MBG began operating. In fact, he claimed, these programmes have been expanded by the government. He gave examples of several programmes in the education sector from President Prabowo’s administration, including the Indonesia Smart Card to the People’s School.
Cabinet Secretary Teddy: MBG Budget Approved by Parliament, Whose Chair is from PDIP
Teddy also highlighted that PDIP also approved the MBG budget in the 2026 state budget. According to Teddy, the education budget allocation for 2026 is 20 per cent of the state budget, in accordance with the constitutional mandate regarding mandatory spending in the education sector.
According to Teddy, the government and parties in the House of Representatives have agreed on the allocation of mandatory education spending for various programmes. “The allocation has been jointly agreed last year by the Government, the House of Representatives, and the House Budget Committee, whose chair is also from PDIP,” said Teddy.
Therefore, Teddy believes that the narrative that MBG is taking education budget allocation is incorrect. Because the allocation of funds for various types of education programmes in the state budget has been jointly agreed. “All of these things, including MBG, are the initial foundation to improve education in the future,” he said.
The MBG programme, according to Teddy, aims to improve the quality of human resources, specifically for students still in education from early childhood education through secondary school.
Education Minister: MBG Does Not Reduce Education Budget
Minister of Basic and Secondary Education Abdul Mu’ti stressed that the MBG programme does not reduce the education budget in his ministry. He ensured that strategic education programmes continue and are even expanded in 2026.
“If there is an assumption that MBG reduces the education budget, we state firmly that this is not true. The president’s programme related to education continues to be implemented optimally,” said Mu’ti at the Coordination Meeting for the Implementation of the MBG Programme in East Java on Thursday, 19 February 2026.
Mu’ti noted that in 2025 the government allocated Rp 16.9 trillion for revitalisation of 16,167 education units across Indonesia. Realisation of the development, he said, has reached 93 per cent. “This is evidence that the state’s commitment to improving education infrastructure remains strong,” he said.