Ideally, Free Nutritious Meals Are Managed Directly by Parents of Students
Author: Jacob Ereste
Freelance Journalist
Indonesia’s economic conditions are felt by the people to be increasingly difficult to overcome. Although the price of basic necessities is relatively cheap, the purchasing power of most people is increasingly powerless. In fact, the impact seems to have also hit the upper middle class. Many offices are carrying out efficiency, even some office spaces are rented out.
Houses and shops are being offered at lower prices. Showrooms for two-wheeled and four-wheeled vehicles appear full of selling their wares. Some of them, said Mursalim, the owner of a showroom in Tangerang, have their vehicles full in the warehouse. Most of those in this showroom are consignments. Because he himself cannot afford to buy all of those vehicles, even though the prices are relatively very cheap.
All supermarkets, especially those displaying non-food merchandise, appear increasingly weak, almost as if they are not enthusiastic. Some of them have closed because income is not enough to keep up with the operational funds that must be spent.
What is actually booming is the impromptu food stalls that are customers of the lower middle class. The rest, like a crustacean on a rock, reluctant to live and unwilling to die. It seems that if the economic conditions continue to deteriorate — not recovering until August 2025 — it is very possible that the crime rate could worsen. Because the threshold for community food security is approaching zero. In fact, the volume and frequency of additional odd jobs have been multiplied. However, the economic balance still cannot be perfected.
Clothing stores, household furniture, if not too urgent, no transactions are made. Because the concentration of most people is only to meet their daily needs in the most minimal amount, it can be considered more than enough. Because the threat of a shortage of the minimum limit, it means that the red light has been turned on.
Therefore, various forms of subsidies launched by the government will be very helpful, especially if accompanied by direct cash assistance, so that the movement of the people’s economy does not stop there once, aka stuck and unable to do anything. On that basis, the free nutritious meal program should be given directly in cash to parents of students to provide children with food every day directly from their respective homes.
The provision of free nutritious meals in cash managed by each student’s parents will certainly have an impact on the economic movement of the community. Apart from that, the choice of how to provide funds for free nutritious meals like that can be more efficient in its management which must involve many workers, while its realization is less than optimal – even quite a lot of it has caused problems – such as poisoning incidents or even menu offerings that do not meet government standards.
The method of providing funds for free nutritious meals for students can be guaranteed to be relatively safer. Only strict supervision and control are carried out by government supervisors to impose sanctions when the free nutritious meal menu does not meet the standards set by the government.
If the funds for free nutritious meals can be provided for a monthly quota, then mothers at home who will directly prepare the food to be taken to school are able to adjust it to the nutritional value and tastes of their respective children.
Hopefully the method of implementing the free nutritious meal program managed by each housewife for her child who receives MBG assistance will be more practical and at the same time drive the economy of the lower classes. Moreover, in one family, it is very possible to have a child who will receive MBG, so that health, hygiene and nutritional menu guarantees can be met, because sanctions will be imposed if they do not comply with the nutritional standards previously determined by the government.
Banten, May 18, 2025
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