Will Prabowo's flagship free school meal plan achieve its goal?

The initiative to prevent stunting is laudable but its success will depend on fixing some issues, not least the potential for corruption.

- Alldo Fellix Januardy and Edbert Gani Suryahudaya

The 2024 election campaign of Indonesia's President-elect Prabowo Subianto and his running mate, Mr Gibran Rakabuming Raka, was marked by a slew of ambitious promises, but one stood out: free meals for schoolchildren.

The free lunch initiative is the flagship initiative among the eight contained in Mr Prabowo's election manifesto. The message was simple yet powerful: no child in the sprawling archipelago should go hungry, and proper nutrition can be a critical factor in preventing stunting, a longstanding health challenge in the country.

Stunting, characterised by impaired growth and development in children due to poor nutrition, affects nearly 21.6 per cent of Indonesian children under five, according to Unicef.

The narrative surrounding free meals in schools has sparked much optimism as the initiative, which is set to benefit millions of children, is being seen as a way to enhance school performance, support child development and combat malnutrition.

But can free school meals truly end stunting, or are we being lulled into believing this is a magic bullet?

There is no doubt that addressing nutritional gaps is a significant part of the solution but expecting a one-size-fits-all approach to solve such a complex issue may be overly simplistic.

While providing free meals at schools may indeed improve dietary intake for many, the problem is not limited to what children eat during school hours. The World Bank's June 2024 Indonesia Economic Prospect report highlights that school meals, although beneficial for dietary diversity and reducing anaemia, do not address the critical early childhood phase - the first 1,000 days of life - when the foundation for preventing stunting is laid.