Sudaryono: Grobogan School Was Already Damaged Before Free Nutritious Meal Programme

Jakarta, VIVA – The head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Sudaryono, has spoken out regarding viral photos of a group of primary school pupils in Grobogan, Central Java, eating Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) in front of a classroom in a state of disrepair.

Sudaryono said the school had been dilapidated long before the MBG programme was launched.

“There was no MBG back then; the school was damaged, not after MBG was introduced. Isn’t that right? Let’s be objective — the school was indeed damaged before the MBG programme existed. Now it is being repaired by the President (Prabowo),” Sudaryono told journalists at the BGN office in Central Jakarta on Wednesday, 29 July 2026.

Sudaryono then urged members of the public who find damaged schools to promptly report them to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen).

“So it’s actually quite simple: if you come across a damaged school, just report it. There’s a portal at Dikdasmen, and it will definitely be repaired,” he said.

He went on to say that the government had renovated 16,000 schools in 2025. Then, in 2026, some 70,000 damaged schools are set to be repaired.

“This year, more than 70,000 schools are to be renovated — in fact, the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education once mentioned it could be nearly 90,000 schools, handled directly by the central government,” Sudaryono concluded.