Free meals program will continue to be improved: Minister

Semarang, C. Java (ANTARA) - Primary and Secondary Education Minister Abdul Mu’ti stated that the free nutritious meals program will continue to be improved and its scope expanded.

Mu’ti made the statement after reviewing the implementation of the free meals program, which was running well at SMPN 12 Semarang public junior high school in Central Java on Monday (Jan 6).

According to Mu’ti, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is tasked with supporting the program, which is implemented by the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) as the leading sector.

“As this is a national program prioritized by the President (Prabowo Subianto), all of us in the ministry are ready to provide our support,” he affirmed.

The minister stated that the free nutritious meals program is currently being implemented simultaneously at 190 kitchens spread across 26 provinces in Indonesia.

"Hopefully, by the end of January, 973 kitchens will be operational, so this program can continue to be implemented and can run smoothly," he noted.

The minister highlighted that at least three teams involved in the implementation of the program comprised the delivery team, the nutrition monitoring team, and the content conformity inspection team.

Moreover, accountants are appointed to help run the program so it can go as planned.

He further acknowledged that currently, not all schools are implementing the free meals program, but in future, the program's coverage will be expanded.

BGN officially rolled out the free nutritious meals program on Monday as part of its efforts to improve the community's nutrition. In January, the program's primary focus is on students.

The free meals program, part of the Asta Cita, or eight main programs launched by the Prabowo-Gibran government, aims to improve Indonesia's future generations by fulfilling the nutritional needs of pregnant women, toddlers, schoolchildren and individuals at risk of stunting.

The government has prepared a budget of Rp71 trillion (nearly US$4.4 billion) for the program.