Minister: Scenario for Canteen Involvement in Free Nutritious Meals Still Being Drafted

Yogyakarta - Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Abdul Mu’ti has stated that the policy scenario regarding the involvement of school canteens in the distribution of the Free Nutritious Meals programme is still being drafted together with the National Nutrition Agency. “So there is no decision yet on how canteens and various other services will be involved. For the Free Nutritious Meals programme to run well, everything must undergo a thorough assessment,” Abdul Mu’ti said in Yogyakarta on Sunday. According to him, the discussion decided at the ministerial-level meeting concerns the target beneficiaries of the programme, which will not be given to all students, but only to those in need. “What has been decided at the ministerial-level meeting is that the recipients of the Free Nutritious Meals will not be for everyone, but only for those who require it,” he said. Nevertheless, he noted that the implementation mechanism for this policy is still being formulated so that its execution can run optimally. Abdul Mu’ti explained that the distribution policy for the Free Nutritious Meals programme falls under the authority of the National Nutrition Agency, and his ministry only provides input regarding its implementation to ensure the programme’s goals, as expected by President Prabowo Subianto, can be achieved. “The spirit of the Free Nutritious Meals programme, as intended by the President, is to build a physically healthy generation free from stunting,” he said. He assessed that the distribution of the programme’s benefits would be more targeted if prioritised for students who genuinely need it. “So indeed, it is more appropriate that those who are most entitled to receive it are the ones served,” he said. The programme, he continued, is one of the seven Habits of Great Indonesian Children, namely getting used to eating healthy and nutritious food. “We have issued various guidelines on how character education is integrated with the Free Nutritious Meals programme,” he said. He added that the ministry continues to coordinate with the National Nutrition Agency and awaits further policies to be issued regarding the programme’s implementation. “The new policy will be prepared by the National Nutrition Agency as the institution with the authority to organise the Free Nutritious Meals programme,” he said.