Novali Panji Nugroho, Jakarta – Indonesia's government must prepare an alternative funding scheme for its Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program after the Constitutional Court ruled that the program's budget can no longer be included in the national education budget, a lawmaker said.
Hetifah Sjaifudian, chairperson of the House of Representatives' Commission X overseeing education, said the government needs to immediately identify new funding sources following the court decision. She noted that a significant portion of MBG funding had previously come from the education budget.
"With the largest portion being removed from the education budget, the government will certainly need to seek alternative sources of funding," Hetifah said in a statement on Saturday, August 1, 2026.
She said possible alternatives could include creating a new budget allocation, reallocating funds from other sectors outside education, or using government reserve funds. However, she added that the final decision would depend on further discussions between the government and the House of Representatives.
Budget allocation to be discussed in 2027 state budget talks
Hetifah said discussions on the MBG budget allocation would take place after President Prabowo Subianto delivers the government's financial note for the 2027 draft state budget in mid-August.
She said Commission X would oversee the implementation of the Constitutional Court's decision requiring the separation of MBG funding from education spending.
"We will discuss the budget allocation until an agreement is reached on the indicative ceiling for the 2027 state budget. The push to implement this separation will depend heavily on the discussions ahead," she said.
Hetifah added that the commission would continue prioritizing improvements in Indonesia's education system, including teacher welfare, learning quality, and equal access to education.
"Education resources and focus must be directed toward improving quality from upstream to downstream," she said.
Court orders separation of MBG and education budgets
The Constitutional Court previously granted part of a judicial review petition against Law No. 17 of 2025 on the 2026 State Budget. The lawsuit was filed by the Taman Belajar Nusantara Foundation and four citizens, who challenged the inclusion of the MBG program in the education budget.
In its ruling, the court said the policy contradicted constitutional principles and determined that MBG could no longer be categorized as part of education spending.
Constitutional Court Justice Enny Nurbaningsih said the MBG budget must be separated from education funds in future state budgets.
The court said the separation was necessary to maintain the constitutional requirement that 20 percent of the state budget be allocated for education. The move would also provide a stronger legal basis for implementing MBG as a government priority program.
"MBG must be removed or separated from the operational definition of education administration and can no longer use the education budget allocation in the state budget," Enny said while reading the ruling at the Constitutional Court building in Jakarta on Thursday, July 30, 2026.
The court ruled that the separation of MBG funding from the education budget must be implemented no later than the 2028 state budget, or within two years after the ruling was issued.
However, the court encouraged the government to complete the budget restructuring earlier, allowing the separation to begin in the 2027 state budget.
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2116445/dpr-govt-should-find-new-funding-for-mbg-program-after-court-rulin