PDIP Claims Free Nutritious Meal Programme Uses IDR 223 Trillion of Education Budget, BGN Responds

PDIP member of Commission X of the DPR, MY Esti Wijayanti, stated that the free nutritious meal programme (MBG) has taken 20 percent of the education budget, amounting to IDR 223 trillion.

Esti said that this allocation is officially stated in Law Number 17 of 2025 concerning the 2026 State Budget.

According to Esti, it mentions that IDR 223 trillion of the MBG budget is taken from a total education budget of IDR 769 trillion.

“It is also clearly stated that IDR 769 trillion of the education budget includes IDR 223.5 trillion for the MBG. This is officially in the appendix of the State Budget,” said Esti in a press conference at her party’s school in the Lenteng Agung area, South Jakarta, Wednesday (25/2).

Member of Commission X of the DPR from the PDIP faction, Adian Napitupulu, revealed that the allocation of the MBG budget taken from education funds is explicitly stated in Law Number 17 of 2025.

Article 22 states, “Operational funding for the implementation of education, including the nutritious meal programme at institutions related to the implementation of education, both general and religious.”

Adian said that this fact must be conveyed. Moreover, the allocation of the education budget, up to 20 percent of the State Budget, is a mandate of the 1945 Constitution.

“We must convey this. Why? Because we are a state guided by law with all its hierarchical derivatives, including this Presidential Regulation,” said Adian.

The BGN responds

The Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Dadan Hindayana, acknowledged that education funds, both in the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemendiktisaintek), have increased.

“BGN funds are divided into three categories: education, health, and economy,” said Dadan in a written statement, Thursday (26/2).

“In addition to reserves from the General Treasurer’s Budget (BA BUN),” he added.

Thus, according to Dadan, this classification is made to be in accordance with the target recipients or Output Details (RO) served by the BGN.

“The target recipients are first, general and religious school children who fall into the education category,” said Dadan.

Second, pregnant mothers, breastfeeding mothers, and toddlers fall into the health category. Third is the rest, including management support, which falls into the economic category. Meanwhile, the reserves are in the BA BUN.

Dadan added that the MBG funds, as explained by President Prabowo Subianto, are funds from budget efficiency.

“The funds that can be made efficient include office supplies, domestic and foreign travel,” Dadan concluded.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chairman of the BGN, Nanik S Deyang, asked reporters to ask this to the Ministry of Finance.

(thr/dal)