Jakarta. Vice president-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka said on Tuesday the free school lunch program needs a dedicated ministry because of its anticipated complex distribution and large government spending. 

The free school lunch program was introduced by Prabowo Subianto and Gibran in their presidential campaign to help Indonesia combat stunting and supercharge its economy. Students starting from pre-school to high school across the archipelago will be eligible to get free meals. With Prabowo claiming a landslide victory in the election, the public now waits on how Prabowo and running mate Gibran would put the plan into action.

“If you ask why we should set up a dedicated ministry [to oversee the free school lunch], well, this program will take up huge government spending, and it will not be easy to distribute the meals. There are also challenges with the logistics and monitoring,” Gibran told reporters in Solo.

“We also want this program to really work, and make a real impact that can be felt by the students,” the Solo mayor added.

However, Gibran did not go into details on the free school lunch ministry, only saying that he was still in discussions with Prabowo. They were also still discussing whether the government would need to add more ministers in the upcoming cabinet.

“We are still in discussions, … so just wait. But we pay special attention to this free school lunch program,” Gibran said.

According to Prabowo-Gibran’s manifesto, the pair is also seeking to distribute nutritional aid for pregnant women and toddlers. The free school meals, coupled with the pregnant women’s nutritional assistance, are targeting over 80 million beneficiaries. Prabowo wants this program to achieve a 100-percent distribution rate by 2029.

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