Trial Of Free Eating Program In Jakarta, Elementary School Students Don't Join In Eating: For My Grandmother

Acting Governor of DKI Jakarta Heru Budi reviewed the trial of the free meal program at SDN Cideng 07, Jakarta, Monday 19 August. (Diah-VOI)

JAKARTA - The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government has started to test a free nutritious eating program similar to Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka's idea. Today, the trial was conducted at SDN Cideng 07, Central Jakarta.

At SDN Cideng 07, free meals are served in a brown cardboard box. The menu consists of white rice, several pieces of flour fried chicken, white mustard greens, small banana fruit, and glassy mineral water.

Acting Governor of DKI Jakarta Heru Budi Hartono also reviewed the implementation of free meals at school. He saw firsthand the grade 2 elementary school students eating the free food.

"I want to see how the delivery process mechanisms are, the process of the younger siblings eating, the side dishes, of course the nutritious ones. But earlier, the younger siblings said they liked eggs, eggs, diplok eggs. Vegetables, some vegetables, and so on," said Heru after distributing free meals at SDN Cideng 07, Jakarta, Monday, August 19.

While walking around, Heru helped a number of students unpackage food so that they could be eaten immediately. One of the students Heru approached did not touch the food.

Heru also asked what the reason was. Apparently, the student wanted to bring home free food for him so that his grandmother could eat. According to the student, the grandmother at home needs more food.

"I was touched. I asked 'why don't you want to eat?' Answered 'I want to bring the food for my grandmother'. Because my grandmother is sick. So, she doesn't want to eat, bring it to my grandmother," Heru said, telling the conversation with the student.

Hearing the student's statement, Heru still asked him to eat. Heru also gave a box of extra food to be able to take home and hand it over to his grandmother.

"Yes, fortunately, there was more stock," continued Heru.

The free meal program in Jakarta has not yet been budgeted in the APBD. Thus, Heru set aside part of the governor's operational allowance funds to finance the free meal trial at SDN Cideng 07 today.

Heru said he would return to conducting free food trials in a number of other schools in the coming days. Later, the budget allocation will be taken from corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds for regional-owned enterprises (BUMD).

"Tomorrow, in two days we will arrange BUMD in DKI to take turns. The first is Dharma Jaya, the second is PAM. We will see the menu, next week when the menu is right, the price is right, only next week we will simultaneously," he explained.