Cabinet Secretary: Budget Allocation for Education Program Continues to Increase

Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya on a press conference at Presidential Palace complex, Jakarta, on Friday (02/27).

Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya affirmed the Government’s commitment to prioritize programs focusing on human resources development. This statement countered an argument about reallocation of budget from the education sector to the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program.

“There is no education program that is reduced or not running—it runs, continues, and even improves. The education program is even more detailed, focused on students, schools, and teachers,” said Cabinet Secretary at a press conference on Friday (02/27).

He ensured that the strategic education program that has been running will run continuously. Besides, he affirmed the Government’s commitment to increasing programs focused on improving educational quality.

“We continue all education programs from the previous administration—none of it has been terminated, this is the fact. All of them are continued, even increased, such as Smart Indonesia Card and Smart Indonesia Program”, he explained.

Cabinet Secretary also noted the Government’s efforts to improve and expand educational support infrastructure. He underscored President Prabowo’s program—the establishment of People’s Schools to open opportunities for Indonesian children.

“Indonesian children who do not have access to schools, drop out, and are uneducated, they go to People’s Schools. Accommodation, education, food, and nutrition are provided, and their health is monitored. Per last year, in only one year, we have had almost 16,000 to 20,000 students in 166 schools. This year, we are developing another 100 schools,” he explained.

In addition to People’s Schools, the Government continues to renovate the school buildings across Indonesia. Cabinet Secretary explained that until 2025, as many as 16,000 schools had been renovated using a budget allocation of 17 billion rupiah.

“We are also developing Garuda Schools, integrated schools, new universities initiated by the President,” he added.

Regarding educational technology, he explained that the Government has distributed digital televisions to schools across Indonesia. “As many as 280,000 television units had been distributed until 2025,” he continued.

These policies reflect that the education sector remains the Government’s priority program. The MBG is not a substitute, but an addition to ensure Indonesian children grow healthy, intelligent, and ready to compete in future challenges.

These measures are the Government’s strategy to promote high-quality generations by improving their nutrition, education, and teaching quality as part of the national development policy. (BPMI of Presidential Secretariat) (RD/LW)