Bogor, West Java (ANTARA) - National Development Planning Minister Rachmat Pambudy has said that the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program can increase education participation in Indonesia.
"The result is clear: it can increase education participation. With the MBG program, students are more diligent in attending school," he added at the launch of a Center of Excellence (CoE) at the Agribusiness and Technology Park (ATP) of IPB University here on Tuesday.
He said that compared to the 139 other countries that have implemented similar programs, the scope of Indonesia's MBG program is wider, reaching students up to senior high school and special school levels.
"The challenge is the extraordinary number of targets, 92.78 million with 26,508 SPPG (nutrition fulfillment service units) needed," he added.
He explained that the program has been an initiative of President Prabowo Subianto for a long time, even before he took office.
According to Pambudy, Prabowo's concern for the health of children, pregnant women, and the future of the nation's generations encouraged him to initiate the program, which then became the main priority of the current government.
"This program can save pregnant women and babies and plays an important role in building a healthier and smarter Indonesia," he said.
Furthermore, he noted that the program can also encourage the growth of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), boost agriculture and fishery production, and create new jobs.
Pambudy also emphasized the importance of routine monitoring, evaluation, impact studies, and data integration in program development. He expressed the hope that the CoE would be a part of those efforts.
IPB University rector Arif Satria informed that the CoE will serve as a special space to develop and test innovative protocols to tackle various challenges and new needs of the MBG program.
"We see that this program is very strategic for the nutritional improvement of Indonesian children and pregnant women," he added.
