Parents and Students in Batam Rally in Support of Free Nutritious Meal Programme Continuation
The Education Office (Disdik) of Batam City, Riau Islands (Kepri), has stated that the community held a rally in support of the continuation of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme by staging a parade in the city centre. Head of the Batam Education Office, Hendri Arulan, said the activity also served as a platform to gather the aspirations and hopes of parents who had previously been worried when the MBG operations were halted. "Today the community carried out a parade in support of MBG. We are certainly accommodating the concerns of parents regarding the MBG programme, which had stalled some time ago," Hendri said in Batam on Sunday. Previously, more than 50 Nutritional Service Fulfilment Unit (SPPG) kitchens in the city had temporarily ceased operations due to delays in the disbursement of operational funds, but all have now resumed serving beneficiaries. According to Hendri, MBG is a strategic government programme aimed at improving the nutritional quality of students while supporting the teaching and learning process in schools. "This programme is a programme of the President of the Republic of Indonesia to fulfil nutrition for children and motivate them to be more enthusiastic about learning at their respective schools," he said. Hendri explained that the nutritious food intake received by students through the programme is believed to improve children’s concentration and fitness during learning activities. He assessed that the benefits of the programme cannot be felt instantly, but will have a major impact on the quality of Indonesia’s human resources in the future. "The results may not be instant, but one generation ahead, a great, strong, and accomplished young generation will certainly be born towards a Golden Indonesia 2045," he said. One student from SDN 004 Sekupang, Yasdan, admitted he was happy with the MBG programme and hoped it would continue. "The MBG at school is good, I want it to keep going because the food is delicious," said Yasdan.