Indonesia’s free school lunch initiative stirs positive change despite cost concerns

Students at Gelarsari Islamic elementary school in Sukabumi regency, West Java, receiving free lunches during a trial of the programme.

For one, saving on the cost of lunches for four of her nine children has provided significant financial relief for Indonesian housewife Rofiati, 46. Every day, students on the programme receive a lunch package worth 15,000 rupiah, which contains rice, meat such as chicken, fish or beef, vegetables, fruit and milk.It not just the financial savings that parents are happy with. Ms Depi Ratna Juwarti, who has two out of three children benefiting from the free lunches, has noticed other encouraging results.“They rarely get sick now. They are more motivated to study and spend a longer time studying at night,” Ms Depi said.

Mr Shalahudin Sanusi , the principal of Gelarsari Islamic elementary school in Sukabumi regency, West Java, overseeing a trial of a free lunch programme. ST PHOTO:LINDA YULISMANWhile educators and parents that ST spoke to lauded the free-lunch initiative, the programme has been criticised by the World Bank, international rating agencies and economists.

“We calculate that it’s a matter of refocusing and cutting down the waste, cutting down the allocation to the non-essential activities. So it’s a matter of efficient, good governance, good administration, good management.”Researcher at Jakarta-based think-tank Core Indonesia, Mr Yusuf Rendy Manilet, said that the incoming government will likely reallocate some expenditure from other existing programmes to cope with the budget constraint.

Source: Education Headlines (educationheadlines.net)

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