Jakarta — The Indonesian government has once again demonstrated its strong commitment to ensuring that every child of the nation has access to proper education. Through the Sekolah Rakyat program, the state is present in the midst of society, especially in disadvantaged, frontier, and outermost (3T) regions, directly responding to the challenges of the educational gap that still exists.
Sekolah Rakyat is not just an alternative learning space, but a strategic and inclusive step initiated by the government to accelerate the equalization of education services. This program is a collaboration between the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture (Kemenko PMK), the Ministry of Social Affairs, and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology.
“The launch of the People’s School will begin in the new academic year of 2025. This is proof that the state is not sitting idly by, but is actively present and acting for Indonesian children in hard-to-reach areas,” said Muhaimin Iskandar, Coordinating Minister for PMK.
Deputy Chairperson of the MPR RI, Lestari Moerdijat, also appreciated this initiative.
“The disparity in education between cities and villages must be addressed immediately. Sekolah Rakyat is an innovative solution that places the right to education as a basic right for all Indonesian children, without exception,” he said.
Carrying fun contextual learning, this program not only teaches reading, writing and arithmetic, but also equips students with character values, national insight, and life skills. Sekolah Rakyat is also connected to the equivalent education path (Packages A, B, and C) to guarantee the legality of graduates.
The program has been tested in several regions such as NTT, Maluku, and Papua, with positive results: increased school participation rates and active participation of local communities. The government is targeting the program to reach 1,000 villages in the next five years.
To support sustainability, the government encourages the involvement of the younger generation through the Muda Mengajar and Kampus Merdeka Mengajar programs. Students and new graduates are expected to be able to directly become teaching volunteers, bringing the spirit of change and strengthening the mutual cooperation-based education ecosystem. Sekolah Rakyat is the real face of the nation’s mutual cooperation. Equal education is no longer a dream—together with the government, we are making this a reality.
