Schools in Serang Free to Determine Participation in Free Nutritious Meals Programme During Ramadan
Serang (ANTARA) — The Education and Culture Office (Dindikbud) of Serang City, Banten, has granted full authority to schools to determine their participation in the Free Nutritious Meals Programme (MBG) during the holy month of Ramadan 1447 Hijriah/2026.
Reni Rafiani, Head of Primary School Development at Serang City's Dindikbud, confirmed on Friday that school participation in the programme during the fasting month is voluntary and free from any coercion, in order to respect the internal policies of each educational institution.
"School participation in this programme during Ramadan is voluntary. For schools that choose not to receive distribution, the meal allocation will be immediately deactivated in the digital system," she said.
Reni explained that the deactivation of allocations through the system is carried out to maintain data transparency and accountability, ensuring that meal allocations are not diverted to other parties.
"To date, 226 schools have chosen to continue running the programme, whilst 22 other private schools have decided to decline," she said.
Meanwhile, Nuni Pratiwi, Regional Coordinator of the Nutritional Preparation Service Unit (SPPG) for Serang City, added that schools continuing to participate have also been given flexibility in arranging the schedule for meal package distribution.
"We are giving schools the flexibility to determine the distribution schedule based on mutual agreement. This adjustment is made so that the MBG Programme does not disrupt the devotion of fasting worship or the altered school timetables," Nuni said.
For schools that continue to receive distribution, the MBG menu during Ramadan will be adjusted to dry foods such as filled bread, eggs, and dates to maintain quality until the time of breaking the fast. Field officers are also prohibited from providing factory-made instant products and are required to process fresh food ingredients independently.
The programme, which is scheduled to begin mass distribution on 23 February 2026, is expected to continue providing nutritional benefits for pupils, Islamic boarding school students, and pregnant women in the Serang City area who choose to remain part of the programme.
Reni Rafiani, Head of Primary School Development at Serang City's Dindikbud, confirmed on Friday that school participation in the programme during the fasting month is voluntary and free from any coercion, in order to respect the internal policies of each educational institution.
"School participation in this programme during Ramadan is voluntary. For schools that choose not to receive distribution, the meal allocation will be immediately deactivated in the digital system," she said.
Reni explained that the deactivation of allocations through the system is carried out to maintain data transparency and accountability, ensuring that meal allocations are not diverted to other parties.
"To date, 226 schools have chosen to continue running the programme, whilst 22 other private schools have decided to decline," she said.
Meanwhile, Nuni Pratiwi, Regional Coordinator of the Nutritional Preparation Service Unit (SPPG) for Serang City, added that schools continuing to participate have also been given flexibility in arranging the schedule for meal package distribution.
"We are giving schools the flexibility to determine the distribution schedule based on mutual agreement. This adjustment is made so that the MBG Programme does not disrupt the devotion of fasting worship or the altered school timetables," Nuni said.
For schools that continue to receive distribution, the MBG menu during Ramadan will be adjusted to dry foods such as filled bread, eggs, and dates to maintain quality until the time of breaking the fast. Field officers are also prohibited from providing factory-made instant products and are required to process fresh food ingredients independently.
The programme, which is scheduled to begin mass distribution on 23 February 2026, is expected to continue providing nutritional benefits for pupils, Islamic boarding school students, and pregnant women in the Serang City area who choose to remain part of the programme.