JAKARTA – The government has officially opened the People’s School Program as a real step to expand access to free and quality education for children from poor and extremely poor families. This program is part of President Prabowo Subianto’s priority policies and will begin in the new school year of July 2025.
Deputy Minister of Social Affairs, Agus Jabo Priyono, emphasized that the People’s School is present as an answer to the challenge of extreme poverty.
“Every child who enters the People’s School is a trust from the state. They not only need to be educated, but also cared for and accompanied to break the chain of poverty,” said Agus.
According to him, the principals are not just institutional leaders, but agents of social change. He emphasized that the People’s School is a comprehensive empowerment space that also involves parents of students and the improvement of their homes.
“We start from poor family data. Their children are schooled, their parents are empowered, and their homes are renovated. We improve their lives together,” he said.
Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf or Gus Ipul stated that the Ministry of Social Affairs has prepared 100 initial points for the People’s School which will operate starting July 14, 2025, with the number of students reaching 9,755 children. “Recruitment of students, teachers, and education personnel has been completed. Now we continue to prepare 100 additional points,” he said.
Gus Ipul added that the collaboration with the Ministry of Manpower includes the use of Job Training Centers (BLK) as school locations and the preparation of skills-based curriculum.
“Our hope is that graduates of the People’s School will not only be academically intelligent, but also have ready-to-use skills,” he said.
Meanwhile, the General Chair of the Indonesian CSR Forum, Mahir Bayasut, welcomed the government’s invitation to collaborate. According to him, the involvement of the business world in this program is very important to strengthen social impact.
“A program like this cannot run alone. The role of the private sector through CSR is very much needed so that the impact is felt widely,” he said during an audience with the Ministry of Social Affairs.
With a target of more than 20 thousand students and the support of more than 6,000 teaching and education staff, the People’s School is expected to become an educational facility that is able to reach the most vulnerable groups and prepare a superior generation towards the Golden Indonesia 2045.
