Indonesia's Free School Meal Program Stalls in Lamongan, Triggering Student Petition

In Lamongan regency, the free school meal program (Makan Bergizi Gratis, MBG) was temporarily suspended after the operational funds failed to be released. Thousands of pupils were forced to bring meals from home or purchase food near schools. A teacher at MAN 1 Lamongan said, "Sudah ada pemberitahuan sebelumnya. Informasinya besok (Selasa) distribusi sudah kembali aktif," indicating the interruption was expected to end once funding arrives.

Meanwhile, the student executive body at Universitas Airlangga launched an online petition demanding the program’s halt. The petition, signed by more than 26,000 people, cited the arrest of former head of the National Nutrition Agency and alleged mismanagement. BEM Unair president Rizqi Senja wrote, "Kami dari BEM Universitas Airlangga ingin mengajak masyarakat Indonesia untuk menyadari betapa problematiknya Program Makan Bergizi Gratis..." The movement urges the government to either stop MBG or restrict it to underserved 3T regions.