Purbaya assures education budget remains secure and not reduced due to MBG

Jakarta – The Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has assured that the budget allocated for education expenditure remains secure and will not be reduced due to the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme. ‘The education budget remains secure,’ Purbaya told reporters at the Ministry of Finance in Jakarta on Friday. He explained that the MBG programme has its own budget allocation that does not disrupt routine education spending. The education ceiling in the State Budget (APBN) remains allocated at 20 percent as mandated by law. Previously, the Government stressed that the 2026 education budget had been agreed by the government together with the DPR and the Budget Agency of the DPR and would not be cut due to the MBG programme. Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya confirmed that all strategic education programmes such as Kartu Indonesia Pintar and Program Indonesia Pintar would continue, accompanied by strengthened access through Sekolah Rakyat and the renovation of around 16,000 schools in 2025 with a budget of Rp17 trillion.