Indonesia's Constitutional Court has ruled that the Free Nutritious Meals program (MBG), aimed at combating under-nutrition among school children and expectant mothers, cannot be funded through the national education budget beyond 2026.

Launched in 2025 to feed 83 million school children and expectant mothers, the MBG program's funding has been classified as part of education spending. However, on Thursday, Chief Judge Suhartoyo decreed that the budgets for educational needs and the free meals program must be separated within two years.

"Funding for the Free Nutritious Meals program, which is currently classified as a component of education spending, must be separated from operational education funding," the court stated.

This ruling follows petitions filed by students and educators challenging this year's state budget law, arguing that including the free meals program as an educational provision violated Indonesia's constitution. The court found no breach for 2026 but mandated separation of funding allocations by the 2028 state budget at the latest.

Under Indonesia's constitution, at least 20% of the state budget must be allocated to education. Rega Felix, a petitioner at the Constitutional Court hearing, noted, "Funding for MBG from the education budget is considered constitutional for 2026, but not for subsequent years."

The Institute for Demographic and Affluence (IDEAS) has previously highlighted that the current MBG allocation could alternatively fund free basic education for all Indonesian children, scholarships for nearly 3 million low-income university students, and salary increases for over 2 million contract teachers. According to IDEAS, 74% of these contract teachers earn less than Rp2 million (approximately $170) monthly, with some receiving less than Rp500,000 ($43).

Observers suggest the government may already have plans to preserve the MBG program, which it considers a priority initiative. The ruling is seen as a measure to ensure education funding is directed towards the welfare of educators, including university lecturers, while allowing the MBG program to continue operating with necessary adjustments.

Sources