After the MK Decision, the DPR Calls for a New MBG Financing Scheme

Free meal illustration (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The preparation of the State Budget (APBN) 2027 is certain to undergo adjustments after the Constitutional Court (MK) banned the use of a 20 percent education budget allocation to finance the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) Program. The government must now prepare a new funding scheme outside the education budget so that the program can continue.

The MK's ruling confirms that the compulsory education budget must be used to support the core needs of the education sector in accordance with the constitutional mandate. Thus, MBG funding can no longer be charged to the education budget post in the 2027 State Budget.

Chairman of Commission X of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Hetifah Sjaifudian, welcomed the decision. According to him, the Constitutional Court's decision is a momentum to restore the function of the education budget so that it is fully directed towards improving the quality of learning and education operations.

"We certainly appreciate the Supreme Court's decision. This decision confirms that the 20 percent education budget must be refocused on the core and operational needs of education in accordance with the constitutional mandate," said Hetifah.

He said that although the Constitutional Court had given a deadline for the implementation of the ruling, Commission X of the DPR encouraged that the separation of the MBG budget from the education fund had begun to be implemented in the 2027 State Budget.

However, until now the DPR has not received an explanation from the government regarding the source of funding for the MBG program.

According to Hetifah, so far the largest portion of MBG funding comes from the education budget. Therefore, the government needs to immediately devise alternative funding mechanisms so that priority programs can continue without reducing the rights of the education sector.

"With the withdrawal of the largest portion of the education budget, of course the government needs to find alternative sources of funding, either through the addition of new budget posts, reallocation from other budget posts outside of education, or through reserve funds. However, the concrete decision is still pending further discussion between the government and the DPR," he explained.

He added that discussions regarding new sources of financing will be one of the important agendas in the preparation of the 2027 Draft State Budget (RAPBN).

Commission X of the DPR also emphasized that after the education budget was no longer used to finance MBG, the allocation of education funds must be truly focused on improving the quality of national education.

Hetifah said the DPR would continue to fight for the improvement of teachers' welfare, the quality of learning, and the equalization of access to education as a priority in discussing the 2027 State Budget.

"The main priority that we have always fought for is the improvement of the quality and quality of learning, including improving the welfare of teachers and realizing equitable access to education. The focus and resources of education must be directed to improving the quality of education from upstream to downstream, with absolute priority on teacher welfare and improving the quality of learning," he said.

According to him, the allocation of more targeted education budgets is expected to be able to strengthen the quality of Indonesian human resources through the improvement of the competence of educators, improvement of educational facilities and infrastructure, and the equalization of education services in all regions.

The direction of the budget policy will be discussed further after President Prabowo Subianto submits the Financial Note and the 2027 Budget to the government in mid-August. Furthermore, the DPR together with the government will discuss the budget posture until reaching an agreement on the final ceiling of the 2027 State Budget.

Hetifah ensured that the DPR would monitor the implementation of the Constitutional Court's decision so that the separation of the MBG budget from the education budget was actually implemented in the preparation of the next year's state budget.

"This is certainly our concern. The DPR together with the government will discuss the allocation of the budget until an agreement is reached regarding the final limit of the 2027 budget. The impetus to realize the separation of the MBG budget from the education budget since the 2027 State Budget will depend very much on the dynamics of the discussion between the government and the DPR later," he concluded.

The Constitutional Court's ruling is considered an important point in the preparation of the 2027 State Budget, as well as encouraging the government to formulate a more sustainable MBG funding scheme without reducing budget allocations for improving the quality of national education.