MK bars use of APBN education funds for MBG program

The Mahkamah Konstitusi barred the use of education funds in the APBN for the Makan Bergizi Gratis program. In a ruling on a judicial review of the 2026 APBN law read out in Jakarta on Thursday, the court partly granted a petition from Yayasan Taman Belajar Nusantara and said MBG is not a main component of education financing. Constitutional Justice Enny Nurbaningsih said the MBG program must be removed from the operational definition of education administration so it no longer uses education allocations. The court said the explanation of Article 22 paragraph (3) of Law No. 17/2025 has broadened the meaning of education spending and risks violating the minimum 20 percent APBN allocation required under Article 31 of the 1945 Constitution. The court gave until APBN 2028 to separate the budget, but urged the arrangement begin in APBN 2027.