"Tertiary institutions need to actively participate in programs for prevention, handling of stunting and extreme poverty, so those would run even (better)," Coordinating Minister of Human Development and Cultural Affairs Muhadjir Effendy noted in his statement received here on Friday.
Effendy cited the example of the action they took by combining the student community service scheme with the aforementioned programs. By doing so, the students could contribute in efforts to address stunting and extreme poverty, Effendy added.
The minister said that tertiary education institutions could also educate or facilitate public, particularly for families that were targeted in the national programs.
Tertiary education institutions could also pursue a campaign that highlighted the importance of nutritionally balanced diets that incorporate healthy amounts of animal proteins, Minister Effendy remarked.
The initiative was expected to raise public awareness of the importance of stunting prevention and handling, he elaborated.
"For (handling) stunting prevalence to run optimally, the involvement of many stakeholders is required, ranging from the government at the central to regional scopes, tertiary institutions, business sector, community, everyone," he emphasized.
In accordance with Presidential Regulation number 72 of 2021 on stunting reduction, his administration would conduct their best efforts to coordinate, control, and monitor the progress in stunting reduction, he pointed out.
The minister cited data from the National Nutrition Status Survey (SSGI) which stated that currently, the rate of stunting prevalence in Indonesia was capped at 21.6 percent.
The government aims to press down stunting prevalence, so that it would reach 14 percent by 2024, he remarked.
"Hence, collaboration and synergy from many are necessary, so that the target for stunting reduction could be met as expected," he added.
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Translator: Wuryanti Puspitasari, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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