MBG at SMAN 28, South Jakarta, teaches character education and environmental stewardship

Jakarta — The Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) Programme at SMAN 28, South Jakarta, is not only providing meals to students but also teaching character education and fostering environmental awareness. Deputy Principal of BGN, Sony Sonjaya, visiting the school on Friday affirmed that the MBG implementation and distribution are running optimally, covering meal quality, on-time delivery, and positive responses from beneficiaries. ‘This is exceptional. It’s not only about receiving MBG, but students are also taught how to manage food and fruit waste into something useful. There is maggot farming, composting, eco-enzymes, and even hydroponics. This is very good character and environmental education,’ Sony said. He hopes the environmental management culture applied at SMAN 28 Jakarta can be replicated as good practice in other schools. He added that schools should not solely focus on receiving the nutritious meals programme, but also teach students to manage food waste sustainably. ‘The aim of our visit was to ensure the MBG distribution truly reaches students, to observe the quality of the meals, and to ensure timely distribution. Based on on-site observations, alhamdulillah everything is going well,’ he said. Sony explained that of a total of 750 students at SMAN 28 Jakarta, 641 initially indicated willingness to receive MBG through an open and democratic data collection process conducted by the school. After further evaluation, 518 students were recorded as actively receiving MBG daily. ‘This is a very good example that the MBG programme is run democratically. Those who do not wish to receive it are not forced, while those who do receive it continue to enjoy the programme well. In fact, I also had lunch with the students earlier,’ he added.