Free Nutritious Meals, Government’s Smart Strategy to Improve Children’s Education and Health Quality
Jakarta – Strengthening human resources (HR) is considered a crucial step in realizing the ideals of Indonesia Emas 2045. One of the real strategies currently being promoted by the government is through the Free Nutritious Meal Program (MBG), which is believed to be a long-term investment in building the quality of the nation’s generation.
Professor of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia and Director of the Postgraduate Program at YARSI University Jakarta, Prof. Chandra Yoga Aditama emphasized that HR is the main foundation of a nation’s progress.
“Basically, building a nation starts from building its people. Therefore, HR development must be a top priority. This has also been stated in the astacita, so it deserves to be appreciated,” he said at the Sapa Indonesia Malam event on RRI.
According to Prof. Chandra, there are two main elements in HR development, namely health and education.
“With good health and education, a person will be able to contribute optimally, both in their personal life, family, nation and even the world,” explained Prof. Chandra.
In this context, nutritious food intake is a vital component in supporting health. He said that clean and healthy living behavior is closely related to the consumption of nutritious food.
“If nutritious food is provided routinely in schools, it certainly supports the education process because children will be healthier and ready to learn,” he added.
The MBG program, which has begun to be implemented in a number of remote areas of the country, has also received a positive response from the community. However, Prof. Chandra emphasized the importance of prioritizing the beneficiaries of this program.
“This program should be prioritized for children who really need it, especially in remote and isolated areas with minimal access to facilities,” he said.
In its implementation, Prof. Chandra also reminded the importance of maintaining food quality in accordance with global health standards.
“WHO introduced the concept from farm to plate, namely maintaining food quality starting from selecting ingredients, storage, processing, to distribution to schools. Even waste processing must be considered,” he said.
According to him, the methods applied so far have shown better results than imagined, with relatively minimal waste. However, to ensure the quality of the program as a whole, a comprehensive monitoring system is needed from upstream to downstream.
“Monitoring and evaluation must be carried out comprehensively. First, look at the supply chain from upstream to downstream. Second, implementation in the field must also be considered comprehensively. Third, the most important thing is the involvement of all parties. It is not enough just for the government, but it needs the involvement of the community, the business world, and educational institutions,” said Prof. Chandra.
Prof. Chandra emphasized that if managed properly and sustainably, the MBG Program will be a very meaningful long-term investment in producing a healthy, intelligent, and highly competitive generation — as the main foundation towards Indonesia Emas 2045. [-red]
