National Nutrition Agency Confirms Rumour of Online Students Required to Attend School for Free Nutritious Meals Programme is a Hoax

The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has affirmed that information circulating on social media regarding the obligation for online school students to come to school in order to receive the Free Nutritious Meals Programme (MBG) is untrue or a hoax.

BGN Deputy Head for Operational Nutrition Fulfilment, Sony Sonjaya, stated that to date, his agency has not prepared or discussed technical guidelines related to the distribution of the programme in conditions of distance learning.

“Until now, the government itself has not decided on online learning policies for schoolchildren,” Sony said in Jakarta on Tuesday (24/3).

Sony explained that the implementation of the MBG Programme currently still refers to the mechanisms in place at schools during face-to-face teaching and learning activities.

Therefore, the narrative claiming compulsion for online students to attend school to obtain their meal ration lacks a strong legal basis.

Furthermore, Sony urged the public not to easily believe information from unclear sources, especially those widely spread on social media.

He emphasised that every official policy related to this programme will be directly conveyed by BGN through credible communication channels.

BGN is fully committed to ensuring that this programme runs according to standards, both in terms of nutritional quality and distribution governance, so that its benefits are truly felt by students throughout Indonesia equitably.

“If there is a new policy in the future, including in online learning situations, it will certainly be thoroughly reviewed and officially announced,” Sony concluded.