Key facts
- Indonesia's constitutional court ruled that the free meals program cannot be funded by the education budget.
- The court mandated that the program's funding must be separated from operational education spending by 2028.
- The ruling came after students and educators filed petitions against the 2026 state budget law.
- The court stated the program requires its own state budget allocation to address stunting.
- The program has faced logistical challenges, budget concerns, corruption allegations, and declining public satisfaction.
Indonesia's constitutional court has ruled that President Prabowo Subianto's flagship free meals program cannot continue to be financed by the education budget, mandating a separation of funds by 2028 at the latest. The court stated that the program, aimed at feeding 83 million children and expectant mothers to combat under-nutrition, requires its own distinct allocation within the state budget.
The ruling came after students and educators petitioned against the 2026 state budget law, which classified the program as an 'educational provision.' The finance ministry had earmarked 223 trillion rupiah for the free meals initiative within the broader 769 trillion rupiah education budget. Judges argued that including the program within the education budget created imbalances and that it was a 'real solution' to stunting that deserved its own funding.
This decision marks another setback for the program, which has faced significant challenges, including logistical complexities across the archipelago, a high price tag that raised fiscal deficit concerns, leadership changes, corruption allegations leading to the arrest of the agency chief, and budget cuts. A recent survey indicated a sharp decline in public satisfaction with the initiative.