Primary School Pupil in East Manggarai, NTT, Writes Letter to Prabowo about Free Nutritious Meals Programme

An open letter from a primary school pupil in the 3T (frontier, outermost, underdeveloped) area of East Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), has captured attention. Myscha, a fifth-grade student at SD Compang Ngeles, questions the fate of the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme at her school while voicing her fears regarding the prevalent cases of food poisoning. In the letter written on Sunday (26/4), Myscha expresses bewilderment that she and her friends have yet to experience the benefits of this flagship government programme. “On TV and YouTube, I see other regions have been running it for a long time. Friends there are already eating, but at our school, up to today, there is nothing,” writes the young girl who attends school in Rana Gapang Village, Elar Subdistrict. The school’s location in a remote and hard-to-reach area is suspected to be the main reason why the programme’s distribution has not yet reached their region. Not only about the delay, Myscha also reveals her deep concerns after seeing news of food poisoning cases allegedly stemming from the MBG programme in several areas. “I’m scared, Sir. Scared of headaches and stomach aches. If one day MBG comes to my school, I don’t want to eat it,” she states honestly to CNNIndonesia.com on Sunday (26/4). As a solution, Myscha has a simple yet wise suggestion. She hopes that if the budget is indeed available, it would be better to disburse it directly to the school or parents. “Is it okay if the money is given directly to the school or to my mum and dad? So we can manage it ourselves. Because we know best what we want to eat. We also know that mum’s cooking tastes the best and is safe,” she writes. Furthermore, this primary school child suggests that the budget would be better allocated to needs that she considers far more pressing in 3T areas. According to Myscha, there are three main priorities that need attention: providing school equipment (bags, books, uniforms, shoes), improving teacher welfare, and repairing the school’s concerning facilities. “Roof made of used corrugated iron, fragile walls, many broken chairs and desks, walls and roof sometimes leak. The library lacks books,” she details the condition of her school. “I’m sure if teachers are prosperous and the school is good, we will definitely become smart, Sir. No need to fear poisoning either,” she adds convincingly. As of this report, there has been no official response from the East Manggarai Regency Education Office or the National Nutrition Agency regarding the content of this letter. Myscha’s letter is planned to be sent directly to the State Palace and disseminated through social media to garner attention from the central government.