Islamic Boarding Schools with Thousands of Students Prioritised for Nutrition Service Units

Deputy Chairman of Commission VIII of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Abdul Wachid, has encouraged Islamic boarding schools with two to three thousand students to own and manage a nutrition service fulfilment unit (SPPG). He stated that this would empower the boarding schools.

Regarding the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme, Abdul said that boarding schools with up to three thousand students would be given priority for their own kitchen. He requested that students, especially those in madrasahs within the boarding school environment, be registered for the programme. He made these remarks during a working visit to the Regional Office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs in Central Java Province, Semarang, on Wednesday.

Speaking after chairing a meeting, Abdul said that currently each SPPG typically serves up to three thousand beneficiaries under the MBG programme. He noted that if a boarding school has 2,500 or 3,000 students, it could upgrade its existing kitchen to a better one, thereby providing greater benefits to the school.

He argued that by owning and managing their own SPPG, boarding schools would empower their own communities. He said this would be very beneficial as they would strive to produce goods from the students’ own efforts, such as planting chillies and vegetables, and even raising laying hens. The Gerindra Party politician explained that the raw materials for the MBG could thus be produced independently by students within the boarding school environment. According to Abdul, a scheme is already in place for boarding schools wishing to establish an SPPG.