February 20, 2026 | 11:12 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Deputy Chair of the House of Representatives Commission X, Lalu Hadrian Irfani, stated that the education budget under the State Budget is not used for the operation of the free nutritious meal (MBG) program. The statement was made in response to a lawsuit against the State Budget Law at the Constitutional Court by an honorary teacher together with three students and the Taman Belajar Nusantara Foundation.
According to Lalu, Commission X, which is a working partner of the Ministry of Education, has not found any evidence that the education budget is allocated for MBG implementation. "We know that the education budget is not used for MBG," said the National Awakening Party politician at the DPR Complex in Jakarta on Friday, February 20, 2026.
Lalu dismissed the notion that the welfare of teachers is sidelined after the budget for education programs is diverted to fund Prabowo's free meals. He believes that 20 percent of the state budget is still intact for the education sector, including the welfare of educators.
Lalu said his side is pushing for the improvement of teachers' welfare, derived from the education sector budget.
The free nutritious meal, according to Lalu, has been long prepared by Prabowo, with detailed budget schemes. The National Nutrition Agency also has its own budget that does not disrupt the education budget.
The lawsuit against the State Budget Law is registered under Number 40/PUU-XXIV/2026. Dignity Law legal team member Abdul Hakim said that this step was taken to uphold the mandate of Article 31 paragraph (4) of the 1945 Constitution.
"The article obliges the state to prioritize at least 20 percent of the State Budget for meeting the needs of national education," Hakim said in an official statement on Monday, January 26, 2026.
In their petition, the applicants requested the Constitutional Court to declare that Article 22 paragraph (3) of the 2026 State Budget Law is contradictory to the 1945 Constitution as long as it includes the nutritious meal program, and to annul the Explanation of the Article for expanding the norm.
The petition explained that out of the total education budget for 2026 amounting to Rp769.1 trillion, around Rp223 trillion is allocated for MBG funding. This means that almost 29 percent of the education budget is absorbed by the program.
Hakim highlighted the impact of this budget allocation policy on educators, especially non-permanent teachers. "This budget shift reduces fiscal space for more urgent educational needs, such as improving teacher quality, school infrastructure, educational assistance, and equal access to education," he said.
Hendrik Yaputra contributed to this article.
Read: Purbaya Responds to 2026 State Budget Lawsuit at Constitutional Court
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