Parliamentary Budget Committee Chief States Free Nutritious Meal Programme Must Proceed as Mandatory Education Budget Item
JAKARTA — The chairman of the House of Representatives Budget Committee (Banggar) DPR RI, Said Abdullah, has affirmed that the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme must continue to be implemented as it falls within the mandatory education budget category.
Said stated that the education budget represents an obligation that the government must fulfil in accordance with applicable regulations. Consequently, the MBG programme cannot be negotiated, delayed, or terminated.
“If MBG falls within the mandatory education budget category, it is obligatory. It is no longer negotiable. Since it is an education budget matter, it must be implemented,” Said said at the House of Representatives building in Jakarta on Thursday (12 March 2026).
However, the mandatory nature of the education budget means the programme must continue to be executed by the government. “I agree that field operations require improved governance, but it is legally mandatory because of the mandatory category, which pertains to education,” Said added.
On the same occasion, Said also requested that the government sharpen its focus on priority programmes should pressure arise on the State Budget (APBN). He believes the government must ensure that genuinely urgent programmes continue to be implemented, whilst programmes that are less urgent can be deferred or implemented over multiple years.
The PDI-P politician further noted that less urgent programmes could be carried out through a multi-year scheme. “For priority programmes that are not so urgent, this can be done over multiple years,” he concluded.
The government has previously assured that the MBG programme will not disrupt education budget allocations in the APBN. Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa stated that the education budget will remain secure and will not decrease despite the government implementing the programme. “(The education budget) remains secure,” Purbaya said at the Finance Ministry office in Jakarta on Friday (6 March 2026).
Additionally, Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya has assured that various education programmes will continue to operate, including the Smart Indonesia Card (KIP) and the Smart Indonesia Programme (PIP). The government is also continuing to strengthen educational access through the People’s School (Sekolah Rakyat) programme as well as the renovation of approximately 16,000 schools in 2025 with a budget of Rp 17 trillion.