Indonesia prioritizes large Islamic boarding schools for nutrition program management

Indonesian lawmakers are pushing for Islamic boarding schools, known as pesantren, to take charge of their own nutrition programs. The focus is on institutions with a substantial student body of 2,000 to 3,000 students, empowering them to manage their own nutrition fulfillment units (SPPG).

Abdul Wachid, Deputy Speaker of Commission VIII of the House of Representatives, advocates for prioritizing these larger pesantren to develop their own kitchens. This move is intended to enhance the pesantren's self-sufficiency and operational capacity. The initiative is linked to the Free Nutritious Food (MBG) program, ensuring students receive adequate nutrition, especially during Ramadan.

Wachid explained that existing SPPGs typically serve up to 3,000 beneficiaries. By enabling pesantren to manage their own kitchens, they can improve facilities and potentially utilize resources produced by their students, such as vegetables from their own farms or eggs from their own poultry.

This approach aims to foster a more integrated system where the pesantren community contributes to its own food supply chain. Wachid believes this will significantly benefit the pesantren by empowering them to manage resources and production within their own environment, aligning with the goals of the MBG program.