Jakarta, suaradewata.com – The government continues to demonstrate its commitment to expanding access to education for children from poor and extremely poor families, demonstrating its commitment to equalizing learning opportunities. Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf stated that the government is preparing the selection process for the People’s School (SR) Program, which is targeted to accommodate up to 30,000 students this year.
“We are currently preparing for this year’s selection. There is indeed an allocation of 30,000 students this year. Once all the permanent buildings are completed, God willing, we can accommodate those 30,000,” said Gus Ipul at the Presidential Palace Complex in Jakarta on Tuesday.
He revealed that each permanent People’s School building was designed to accommodate around 300 students.
The composition consists of 100 elementary school students (SD), 100 junior high school students (SMP), and 100 senior high school students (SMA).
In addition to preparing physical buildings, the government is also preparing various other supporting aspects, such as the availability of teaching staff, education personnel, and student selection teams.
The selection process will involve many parties, including the Social Services Agency, the Primary and Secondary Education Agency, and the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), to ensure that prospective student data is truly accurate and on target.
Gus Ipul emphasized that the main target of the People’s School program is children from extremely poor families (decile-1) and poor families (decile-2).
He added that President Prabowo Subianto had given firm instructions that the selection process be carried out transparently and free from fraudulent practices.
“So, we expect the selection team to be fair, with no favors or bribes, but to truly select those who meet the criteria for admission to public schools. That is the President’s clear directive,” he said.
The government’s commitment to expanding People’s Schools was also directly emphasized by President Prabowo Subianto. The President inaugurated the operation of 166 People’s Schools across 34 provinces.
The President also emphasized that with the presence of 166 People’s Schools this year, the number of students by the end of 2026 is estimated to reach around 30 thousand children, up from around 15 thousand students currently.
“Today, it’s only 15,000, but I’ve been told it will reach 30,000 by the end of the year. Ultimately, our target is for each Elementary School campus to have 1,000 students, so our target is 500,000 students,” Prabowo said.