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View all search resultsConstitutional Court examines free meals budget
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A general view of a Constitutional Court ruling hearing on a petition to remove the presidential nomination threshold on Jan. 2, 2025, in Central Jakarta. The court justices ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, four students from Sunan Kalijaga Islamic State University in Yogyakarta, to remove the nomination threshold for future presidential elections. (Antara/Fauzan)
T
he Constitutional Court has opened preliminary hearings on challenges to the allocation of nearly one-third of the education budget for President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship free nutritious meals program, with petitioners also seeking the recusal of a newly appointed justice over potential conflicts of interest.
The Court has received three petitions contesting, among other points, the inclusion of the multibillion-dollar program in the education budget under the 2026 State Budget Law, which earmarks operational education funds for the free meal program.
A key campaign promise of Prabowo, the initiative aims to provide daily nutritious meals to 82.9 million schoolchildren and pregnant women across Indonesia to help reduce stunting.
Under the 2026 budget, total state spending is projected at Rp 3.8 quadrillion (US$226 billion), with education accounting for 20 percent, or Rp 769 trillion. Around Rp 223 trillion of this allocation is designated for the free meal program, which receives a total of Rp 335 trillion from combined education, health and economic budgets, up from Rp 71 trillion in 2025.
Petitions were submitted by education nonprofit Yayasan Taman Belajar Nusantara, a university lecturer and an honorary teacher, with preliminary hearings held on Wednesday and Thursday.
Read also: Prabowo unveils nationwide police-backed rollout of free meals
Petitioners argue that the program does not qualify as an educational expense, and that using education budget funds violates the Constitution, which mandates at least 20 percent of the national budget for education.
