Madrasah Teachers Welcome Court Ruling on Free Meal Programme, Demand Fairer Education Budget

The Independent Madrasah Teachers Association (PGMM) has welcomed the Constitutional Court (MK) ruling ordering that the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme budget be separated from the education budget no later than the 2028 State Budget (APBN).

The madrasah teachers’ organisation hopes the policy will be followed by a fairer distribution of education funding for all educational institutions, including madrasahs.

PGMM Chairman Tedi Malik said the 20 percent education budget mandated by the constitution should be used entirely for educational purposes. According to him, the funds must be distributed proportionally to both state and private educational institutions, whether under the supervision of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) or the Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag).

“We welcome the ruling. Our hope is that its execution can be accelerated, even from the beginning of 2027,” Tedi told Republika on Wednesday (5/8/2026).

He assessed that separating the MBG budget from the education budget would provide greater room for the government to strengthen the quality of national education. One of PGMM’s hopes is increased attention to the welfare of madrasah teachers as well as more equitable budget support for Islamic educational institutions.

Tedi stressed that the education budget already allocated at 20 percent of the APBN must be fully utilised to improve the quality of education.

“The full 20 percent education budget should be used and distributed fairly to educational institutions, both state and private, whether under the guidance of Kemendikdasmen or Kemenag,” he said.