By: Andi Saputra Wijaya )*
The government continues to strengthen its role in breaking the chain of structural poverty by expanding access to more equitable and targeted education. One policy instrument currently being seriously consolidated is the People’s School Program, designed to reach children from poor and extremely poor families so they don’t become trapped by structural limitations passed down across generations.
This program is positioned not simply as an alternative educational facility, but as a measurable social intervention strategy. Through the People’s School, the state has been present from the outset to ensure that family economic conditions are no longer a major barrier to children receiving a proper, sustainable, and dignified education.
Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf explained that the government is preparing the selection process for People’s School students for the current year, with a target capacity of 30,000 students. This target is based on infrastructure readiness, particularly the completion of permanent buildings that will serve as the operational backbone of the program.
Each People’s School unit is designed to accommodate approximately 300 students, evenly distributed across elementary, junior high, and senior high schools. This design reflects an integrated, tiered approach, allowing students to pursue a continuous education without having to change learning systems or environments.
Beyond the physical aspects, the government is also preparing a comprehensive supporting ecosystem. The availability of teaching staff, administrative staff, and student selection mechanisms are key priorities to ensure the quality of educational services is maintained from the outset. The government places quality as an absolute prerequisite, not an afterthought.
The People’s School student selection process is designed to involve multiple institutions, including the social services department, the education department, and the Central Statistics Agency. This collaboration aims to ensure that prospective student data is truly valid and reflects actual socioeconomic conditions. Data accuracy is fundamental to ensuring the program’s effectiveness and adherence to its original objectives.
The primary target of the People’s School is children from extremely poor families and those in the lowest decile. This sharpened targeting demonstrates the government’s commitment to making the People’s School an affirmative action instrument, rather than a general program that could potentially lose its social focus.
President Prabowo Subianto’s directive further reinforced this commitment. He requested that the entire selection process be conducted transparently and free from practices that undermine the sense of fairness. This emphasis also affirmed that the People’s School is a strategic state policy whose integrity must be maintained from planning to implementation.
The national commitment is also reflected in the official launch of 166 People’s Schools across 34 provinces. This distribution demonstrates the government’s efforts to reach diverse regions and lay the foundation for program expansion in the coming years.
The government projects that the number of students attending People’s Schools will increase significantly by the end of 2026. From around 15 thousand students currently, the number is targeted to increase to around 30 thousand in the near future, before eventually expanding to a much larger scale in accordance with the long-term vision.
The President also stated that the ultimate goal of this program is to establish People’s School campuses with a capacity of up to 1,000 students per location. With a phased and measured approach, People’s Schools are being directed to become a national-scale social education system capable of accommodating hundreds of thousands of children from vulnerable families.
Support for this policy also came from the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI). Commission VIII member Atalia Praratya viewed the People’s School as a much-needed social safety net in education, especially for children who are at risk of being cut off from education due to economic constraints.
Atalia believes this initiative by the Ministry of Social Affairs reflects the government’s commitment to creating a more inclusive educational environment. However, she emphasized that the program’s success is largely determined by its targeting accuracy, quality of support, and integration with other social protection services.
According to Atalia, cross-sector synergy is key to ensuring that Public Schools (Sekolah Rakyat) do not exist in isolation but are connected to education policies, child protection, and social welfare services. Collaboration between ministries, local governments, communities, and educational institutions is necessary to create a safe and responsive learning environment for children.
Atalia also highlighted the importance of schools as spaces capable of early detection of psychosocial difficulties in children. This approach is considered crucial so that schools serve not only as a place to transfer knowledge but also as a protective space that prevents more serious social risks.
Atalia believes that the selection of locations for People’s Schools also needs to be more selective, considering the prevalence of poverty, which is more prevalent in rural areas. Placing schools too centrally in urban areas has the potential to restrict access for poor children living in rural areas.
With more appropriate location selection, it is hoped that the People’s Schools will truly reach their primary target groups and avoid creating social or psychological distance for students. This approach aligns with the program’s initial goal as an instrument to break structural poverty.
Through the People’s Schools, the government emphasizes that education is a fundamental right that must be guaranteed by the state, not a burden borne by poor families. With measured, transparent, and pro-poor policies, the People’s Schools are projected to become a crucial foundation for building social mobility and a more equal future for future generations.
)* The author is a contributor to the Pertiwi Institute