"This initiative has brought joy to all. Children are delighted to receive nutritious meals, and high school students have warmly welcomed the MBG program," he remarked on Tuesday during a visit to Jepara, Central Java, to review implementation at several high schools.
Hasan highlighted that although the program’s coverage has neared 100 percent among mainstream education schools, the same trend has yet to extend to religious institutions such as Islamic schools.
The minister attributed the disparity to more advanced data collection at general schools, which enabled the government to swiftly link them to the MBG network. He therefore underlined the need to invest greater efforts in expanding coverage to religion-based schools.
Additionally, Hasan assured the public that the national priority program has been running smoothly, in line with the government’s nutritional standards.
He also used the official visit to speak with local students, explaining the process each meal undergoes before being served, in the hope of instilling a greater sense of responsibility to prevent food waste.
Accompanying the minister, Jepara District Head Witiarso Utomo noted that his administration fully supports the MBG program, which he described as a strategic instrument to boost human resource quality from an early age.
"The Jepara government will maintain coordination with the central government and relevant institutions to expedite data collection at religious schools so that every student can benefit from the program," he said.
Meanwhile, Head of the Jepara Office of the Religious Affairs Ministry Akhsan Muhyiddin reported that the MBG program had served around 90 percent of 580 Islamic schools across the district.
He noted that data collection for the remainder is still ongoing and is expected to conclude not long after Eid al-Fitr.
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Translator: Akhmad Nazaruddin, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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