Jakarta. Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya recently denied allegations that the free meal rollout had caused other education programs, be it school infrastructure and teachers’ welfare, to be neglected.

Indonesia has been distributing government-aided meals to Indonesian students, toddlers, and expectant mothers to improve nutritional intake. The budget-heavy program raised concerns over whether the rollout could lead to shifts in the education budget, thereby affecting other existing initiatives. Speaking to reporters in Jakarta on Friday, Teddy said that the government and lawmakers had agreed on the 2026 education budget, including its allocations. 

“All strategic education programs, from the previous administration, continue without any interruptions. We are even adding the [education programs],” Teddy was quoted as saying by state news agency Antara.

This includes programs related to helping Indonesian kids from low-income households access education, be it the “smart card” Kartu Indonesia Pintar, Program Indonesia Pintar, as well as the newly introduced community school Sekolah Rakyat. These schools provide its students a place to sleep, learn, and eat nutritious meals. The system also enables Indonesia to make sure the kids grow up healthy. As of last year, Indonesia has 166 Sekolah Rakyat schools with between 16,000 and 20,000 students. Indonesia aims to set up 100 more schools this year.

"Although schools are under the authority of regional governments, the central government is renovating around 16,000 schools by 2025 with a budget of Rp 17 trillion ($1 billion)" he said.

The government is also distributing smart screens for better learning experience in class.

Teaching staff are getting higher incentives, namely bonuses given outside their regular salary. After 2 decades, their incentives finally rise to Rp 400,000, according to Teddy. Non-civil servant, contract teachers now bring home bigger allowances as the number rose from Rp 1.5 million to Rp 2.5 million in 2025.

"The allowance will be transferred directly to teachers monthly, after previously being transferred quarterly and through regional governments," Teddy said.

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