Reviewing MBG in Mimika, Gibran finds students skipping breakfast before school
Mimika, Central Papua (ANTARA) - Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka discovered that several students at SMAN 4 Mimika did not have breakfast at home before heading to school.
During his review of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme at SMAN 4 Mimika, Central Papua, on Tuesday, Gibran found that the students were eating the MBG earlier, starting at 09:30 local time, because many had not had breakfast before coming to school.
“Doesn’t your family give you breakfast at home?” Gibran asked one student who was eating the MBG.
“Never, sir,” the student replied, shaking his head at Gibran.
“You never have breakfast? Well, finish the side dish, finish the tofu. Do you like tofu?” Gibran asked again, which the student answered with a nod.
During the visit, the Vice President directly observed the distribution of meals to the students and interacted with teachers and pupils to understand the impact of the MBG programme in the field.
The MBG menu consisted of white rice with soy sauce chicken as the side dish, accompanied by stir-fried green beans and carrots, stuffed tofu, and an apple as the closing fruit.
The visit also coincided with Kartini Day, so teachers and students were seen wearing traditional attire from various regions.
Meanwhile, Suharti, a Sociology Teacher at SMAN 4 Mimika, stated that the MBG programme provides benefits to students, especially those with limited access to food before heading to school.
Suharti explained that many students do not have breakfast because there is no food available to consume at their homes.
She said that before the MBG programme, there were still students who arrived late or even did not attend school due to hunger.
“Before there was MBG, there were children who were late for school. When they didn’t come to school, the reason was what? They wanted to go to school but we were hungry, we hadn’t eaten,” said Suharti.
According to her, the presence of MBG has brought positive changes to the students’ discipline and learning readiness.
The number of students at SMAN 4 Mimika is recorded at 325, consisting of 150 male students and 175 female students across 11 classes at levels X, XI, and XII.