August 29, 2026 | 03:53 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has removed 80 elite private schools from the list of recipients of the free nutritious meal (MBG) program. According to BGN head Sudaryono, the decision is part of the agency's MBG overhaul by re-evaluating the beneficiaries in various regions.
Private schools deemed capable of fulfilling the students' nutritious meals independently will no longer receive the state-sanctioned free meals. "We have excluded about 80 private schools from receiving the free nutritious meals," Sudaryono said in an official statement on Saturday, August 29, 2026.
Some of these include boarding schools, including the semi-military Taruna Nusantara High School and Kemala Bhayangkari School.
The status of MBG recipients, Sudaryono explained, is available to check through the MBG Radar by entering the school name.
The BGN evaluation also unveiled another MBG-related issue: free meal beneficiary target duplicates, with approximately 6 million data overlaps. The data overlaps occur, for example, when a student is registered in both an Islamic boarding school and a public school.
Besides the targets of the program, BGN also reviewed the budget distribution to MBG kitchens. The agency found 414 not-yet-operational kitchens receiving funds. BGN has since withdrawn these funds and returned Rp311 billion to the state treasury.
Sudaryono said these reviews were conducted as part of the evaluation of the MBG budget absorption. The government previously earmarked Rp240 trillion for the 2027 MBG budget. The budget cut had been attributed not only to the removal of elite private schools from the list of recipiencts, but by correcting the student data and streamlining the fund distribution to the kitchens.
He stated that BGN is still reviewing the data and budget distribution of the MBG program to ensure that the funds are used according to their intended purpose.
Read: How Far Along Is Indonesia's Food Spoilage Scanner for Free Meals?
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
How Far Along Is Indonesia's Food Spoilage Scanner for Free Meals?
2 hari lalu
Indonesia's MBG food spoilage scanner remains at the prototype stage as BGN and BRIN assess its technology, cost and potential for mass production.
Prabowo Says MBG Will Continue, Promises Improvements
15 hari lalu
President Prabowo Subianto vows to continue Indonesia's free meal program while improving its implementation and efficiency amid ongoing scrutiny.
BGN Orders Free School Meals to Be Consumed Within Four Hours
18 hari lalu
Indonesia's nutrition agency BGN.requires MBG meals to be consumed within four hours of preparation to reduce food safety and poisoning risks.
Indonesia Probes Academic Paper on MBG Listing Prabowo as Author
23 hari lalu
Indonesia investigates an MBG paper listing Prabowo as author, after the document proposed the free meal program for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Amnesty Calls for MBG Suspension After Hundreds Fall Sick
23 hari lalu
Amnesty International urges MBG program suspension after hundreds of students and teachers reportedly fall ill in suspected food poisoning cases.
Fact Check: Did Indonesia Cut Social Assistance for the Free Meals Program?
23 hari lalu
Fact check - MBG draws a significant amount of funds from State Budget, yet the Indonesian government continues to allocate social assistance.
Indonesia Halts Semarang Free Meal Kitchen After 707 Suspected Food Poisoning Cases
27 hari lalu
As many as 707 people from State Vocational High School 6 Semarang are suspected to have experienced food poisoning from free meal program on Friday
DPR: Govt Should Find New Funding for MBG Program After Court Ruling
27 hari lalu
Indonesia's DPR urged the government to find new funding for the MBG program after a court ruled it cannot use the education budget.
What Purbaya Says About Separating MBG Budget from Education Funds
28 hari lalu
Indonesia's Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa responded to the Constitutional Court's ruling on separating the MBG budget from education spending.
Indonesia's Top Court Orders MBG Budget Separated from Education Funds
29 hari lalu
Indonesia's top court ordered the Free Meals program removed from the education budget, requiring separate funding by the 2028 State Budget.
