What Purbaya Says About Separating MBG Budget from Education Funds

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said the government will comply with a Constitutional Court (MK) ruling requiring the budget for the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program to be separated from education spending no later than 2028.

"We will follow the MK's decision. 2028, right?" Purbaya told reporters at the Presidential Palace Complex in Jakarta on Friday.

Purbaya said the implementation of the ruling would follow the 2028 state budget cycle, in line with the timeline set by the court.

"The effective year is 2028, right? Yes, we will make it 2028," he said.

He explained that the current year's budget would remain unchanged because it has already gone through discussions and is now in the finalization stage. Altering an ongoing budget process could potentially delay its completion.

"This has already been discussed. We would have to restart the work all over again. If the decision applies in 2028, then it will be implemented in 2028," Purbaya said.

He added that the government would still calculate the fiscal impact of separating the MBG budget from education allocations.

The minister also said he had not yet discussed the court ruling with President Prabowo Subianto.

"No, not yet," Purbaya said briefly.

Earlier, the Constitutional Court, through Decision No. 40/PUU-XXIV/2026, ruled that funding for the MBG program must be separated from the operational education budget. The court argued that providing free nutritious meals does not constitute a core component of education.

The ruling stipulates that the separation must take effect no later than the 2028 State Budget (APBN), or within two years after the decision was issued on Thursday, July 30.

In its consideration, the court emphasized that the constitutional requirement for the government to allocate at least 20 percent of the state budget to education is intended to finance essential education components.

These components include students, teachers and education personnel, infrastructure and facilities, curriculum development, as well as education evaluation and improvement.

"Funding for these core components does not include financing for the MBG program," the court stated in its ruling.

The Constitutional Court said the explanation of Article 22 Paragraph (3) of Law No. 17 of 2025 on the 2026 State Budget had created legal uncertainty by potentially undermining the mandatory education spending requirement stipulated under Article 31 Paragraphs (2) and (4) of the 1945 Constitution.

The court partially granted a petition filed by the Yayasan Taman Belajar Nusantara along with Dzakwan Fadhil Putra Kusuma, Muhammad Jundi Fathi Rizky, Rikza Anung Andita Putra, Sa'ed, and Indra Kusuma.

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