Vice President Gibran urges students to review Free Nutritious Meal program in Ende

Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka visited Ende, East Nusa Tenggara, on Thursday (June 18, 2026) to directly observe the "Makan Bergizi Gratis" (MBG) program, which translates to "Free Nutritious Meal" program. The visit focused on ensuring the program's effective implementation in the region and assessing the condition of local educational facilities.

During his visit, the Vice President inspected the MBG program at SMP Negeri 1 Ndona and reviewed its readiness at SDN Wolonomi, an institution located in a "3T" area, which stands for tertinggal, terdepan, and terluar (underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost). He also visited the newly constructed Mbongawani Ende Lama People's Market. The Vice President emphasized the importance of prioritizing the MBG program in these 3T regions to ensure its benefits reach the most vulnerable populations.

Accompanying the Vice President were student representatives from prominent Indonesian universities, including Universitas Indonesia, Universitas Sanata Dharma, Universitas Pelita Harapan, Universitas Jenderal Soedirman, and Institut Seni Budaya Indonesia. Their participation is part of a government initiative to enhance supervision and refine the governance of both the MBG program and local cooperatives. This collaborative approach aims to strengthen oversight and improve the overall management of these crucial initiatives.