Government to Separate MBG Budget Starting 2028, Cannot Be Done Abruptly

Minister of Finance Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has said that changes to the budget structure cannot be carried out abruptly. According to him, adjustments can only be made gradually because next year’s budget has already been prepared.

“Right now the budget has already been prepared, it has already been rushed through. If we change it now, everything will be in disarray,” Purbaya said when met at the Directorate General of Taxes building in Jakarta on Friday (14/8/2026).

Purbaya explained that changing one budget item can have an impact on other budget allocations. For this reason, the government needs to prepare the changes in advance.

“If it is shifted out, it must be added again. That means there is an addition outside, education must be added here, the 20 percent increase is quite substantial,” he said.

He stressed that the adjustment cannot be done in a short period of time.

“It cannot be done in an instant; it needs a long time to prepare everything,” Purbaya said.

Meanwhile, Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Abdul Mu’ti explained that the separation of the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) budget is planned to begin in 2028. However, the separation does not mean that students will stop receiving MBG.

“The MBG budget separation starts in 2028. And it is not for all MBG recipients,” Mu’ti said.