Jakarta. The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has called on the Religious Affairs Ministry to swiftly coordinate the inclusion of Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) across the country into the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program, citing extremely low participation so far.

Deputy Head Nanik Sudaryati Deyang said only a fraction of the nation’s Islamic boarding schools currently benefit from MBG. “Out of around 11 million students and 1 million teachers, only 2 percent are receiving MBG,” Nanik said during a meeting with Deputy Religious Affairs Minister Muhammad Syafi’i on Wednesday at BGN’s Kebon Sirih office.

Nanik added that lawmakers highlighted the same issue during last week’s hearing with Commission IX, noting that many pesantren still lack MBG kitchen facilities.

“Some large pesantren with more than 4,000 students don’t even have an SPPG (kitchen) unit,” she said.

Nanik stressed that pesantren were meant to be a primary target of the program from the start, as President Prabowo Subianto had emphasized their importance during MBG’s planning stage.

“President Prabowo pays close attention to pesantren. We can’t let them miss out on MBG benefits,” she said.

To accelerate the rollout, she asked the ministry to map and coordinate pesantren nationwide, including those in remote regions. The government has instructed state-owned banks to support MBG kitchen construction in remote areas.

“For remote areas, even 100–200 beneficiaries will still be served,” Nanik said.

Deputy Minister Muhammad Syafi’i welcomed the request and pledged to mobilize pesantren region by region. “I’ll follow up immediately. We’ll invite pesantren to receive guidance from BGN so they can join the program as soon as possible,” he said.

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