Under Review Again, Certainty That Unej Will Build the SPPG No Later Than Q4 2026

Jember, East Java (ANTARA) – Bambang Kuswandi, the Vice Rector IV of Universitas Jember (Unej), said the certainty of whether the construction of the Sentra Pelayanan Pemenuhan Gizi (SPPG) on the campus would proceed will be known no later than the fourth quarter of 2026. ‘We first assess the roles that can be played and the main duties that fall within the Tri Dharma Perguruan Tinggi, and Unej’s contribution to ensure the government programme runs successfully,’ he said in Jember on Tuesday. To date, he added, there has been no appointment letter for establishing the SPPG from the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) to Unej because it is only advisory in nature. ‘In addition, there is the Halal Safe and Healthy Culinary Zone (KHAS) at the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) and a hygienic-suitability certification,’ he said. Bambang said that building the SPPG would require a substantial investment, around Rp1 billion to Rp2 billion, so there would be no budget in 2026 because the drafting of the work programme has already been completed. He explained that student opposition to the SPPG construction is also a matter for the campus to study because they are very open. ‘We also need to conduct benchmarking studies with other campuses that have already implemented the SPPG programme,’ he said. Earlier, the Gerakan Mahasiswa Nasional Indonesia (GMNI) Jember rejected the plan to build the SPPG on campus because they fear it would affect the academic independence of the university.