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View all search resultsQuality, not quantity: Teachers push back against free meals expansion plan
Teachers and education observers are urging the government to focus on improving teachers' welfare and the quality of meals served to schoolchildren, as well as refocus on the program's original aim to tackle childhood stunting.
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A teacher distributes free meals on Sept. 8, 2025, at SDN 3 Delod Peken state elementary school in Tabanan, Bali. (Antara/Nyoman Hendra Wibowo)
T
he government’s plan to expand the free nutritious meal program to include teachers has met with opposition from the intended beneficiaries, who have urged the funds be redirected to improve teachers’ welfare instead, even as frequent cases of food poisoning continue to erode confidence in the program.
The plan first surfaced on Tuesday when National Nutrition Agency (BGN) spokesperson Redy Hendra, who has been tasked with overseeing the program, said President Prabowo Subianto had instructed the agency to expand program coverage to teachers and employees at schools nationwide starting next year.
“However, we can’t yet confirm when teachers will begin receiving the free nutritious meals,” Redy said in a statement, without elaborating on the considerations behind the plan.
BGN head Dadan Hindayana confirmed to The Jakarta Post on Thursday that his office was currently drafting the expansion plan, but also stopped short on providing any details.
The move comes as the 2026 state budget revealed the agency’s allocation had nearly quadrupled from Rp 71 trillion (US$4.3 billion) to Rp 268 trillion, with the possibility of a further increase to Rp 335 trillion, almost five times its budget this year.
Since its launch in January 2025, the free meals program has reached more than 25 million recipients by spending Rp 15.7 trillion, or 22 percent, of this year’s allocation.
Read also: Free meals overshadow core education spending in 2026 budget
