"In Jayapura City, around 178 schools have been covered by the MBG program through eight public kitchens dedicated to distributing the meals. We hope that more such kitchens will emerge in other districts," said Head of the Papua Education, Library, and Archive Office Christian Sohilait.
He made the statement during Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka’s official visit to a public junior high school in Sentani, Jayapura District, on Wednesday.
Sohilait said the presence of these kitchens, officially called nutrition fulfillment service units (SPPGs), is essential to expanding the reach of the MBG program to more schools, thereby ensuring that more schoolchildren regularly receive nutritious meals.
"Nearly all regions in Papua Province have begun implementing MBG. There are only three districts that have yet to report progress, namely Mamberamo, Supiori, and Waropen," he noted.
On that note, the official said his office would convene a meeting with representatives from municipal and district governments on Friday next week to exchange views on advancing and improving the national priority program.
He highlighted that effective implementation requires synergy among various parties, including regional education and social affairs offices, the National Food Agency (Bapanas), the military, the police, and rural governments.
The provincial government, he continued, would evaluate three key aspects of the program, possible behavioral changes among beneficiary schoolchildren, menu quality, and the balance between locally and non-locally sourced food ingredients.
"Such evaluations are important for us to raise the proportion of locally sourced food, ensure sufficient stocks of ingredients, and make the program truly beneficial for children in Papua," he emphasized.
Launched on January 6 as one of President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship initiatives, the MBG program has reached over 20 million citizens nationwide, thanks to nearly six thousand operational SPPGs.
In addition to school-age children, the program also caters to the nutritional needs of pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and toddlers. The president has set a target for MBG to cover at least 82.9 million beneficiaries by the end of 2025.
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Translator: Agustina E, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Primayanti
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