He then ordered his ministers, deputy ministers, and heads of agencies to continue expanding the program.
"Indonesian children must be strong, smart, enthusiastic, must all go to school. I believe that in the not too distant future we will see an improvement in our children’s academic abilities," he said during a Cabinet meeting at the Presidential Office in Jakarta on Wednesday.
The President emphasized that the future of the nation's children is a strategic issue. He then asked his ministers to work hard to achieve the targets of the Free Nutritious Meals program.
Prabowo is targeting to cover all Indonesian children under the program by the end of the year.
The program is currently being implemented in 31 provinces across Indonesia, with a total of 238 nutrition fulfillment service units (SPPG) preparing food for the program.
The government officially launched the program on January 6, 2025, with a budget of Rp71 trillion (around USD4.35 billion).
Since its launch, as many as 650 thousand children have begun receiving free meals at school. The program will continue to be implemented and expanded to reach a total of 15 million children by September 2025.
Related news: Prabowo's free meals program supports Indonesia's future children: PCO
Related news: President apologizes to children not yet receiving free meals
Translator: Genta Tenri Mawangi, Yashinta Difa
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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