INDEF: Implementation of the MBG Program Must Be Coupled with Quality Education

JAKARTA - The Head of the Macroeconomics and Finance Center of the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF) M Rizal Taufikurahman stated that the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program needs to run simultaneously with the strengthening of the quality of education in order to provide optimal benefits.

Rizal to Antara in Jakarta, Monday, March 2, said that administratively, the education budget in the 2026 State Budget remained at 20 percent of state spending, so there was no nominal cut.

However, he said, the presence of the MBG program has encouraged the adjustment of education spending positions. Considering that mandatory spending cannot be reallocated, it is feared that spending on improving quality will be the most affected.

"Because the routine components of education are relatively rigid, the impact is on spending on improving the quality of human resources (HR), including higher education, training, and innovation. In other words, administratively, the education budget remains, but effectively, its contribution to the formation of HR is reduced," he explained.

Meanwhile, in the short term, MBG can increase household consumption and improve children's nutritional intake. This effect can be double for the local economy, especially the food and distribution sectors.

Therefore, Rizal recommends that the government ensure that MBG contributes to improving children's health while strengthening the quality of education in parallel.

In this way, the risk of stagnation of labor productivity and limited room for national economic growth can be avoided.

Previously, the Government confirmed that the 2026 education budget had been agreed upon by the government together with the DPR and the DPR Budget Agency and was not reduced due to the MBG program.

Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya ensured that all strategic education programs such as the Smart Indonesia Card and the Smart Indonesia Program continued to run, accompanied by strengthening access through People's Schools and renovations of around 16,000 schools by 2025 with a budget of Rp. 17 trillion.

He also conveyed that the government had increased teachers' incentives to Rp. 400,000 and non-ASN teachers' allowances from Rp. 1,500,000 to Rp. 2,000,000 in 2025 as part of strengthening the education sector.