Jakarta – The central government through the Indonesian Ministry of Social Affairs officially initiated the Sekolah Rakyat program as a strategic step to provide access to superior education for children from poor and extremely poor families. This school not only promises facilities and quality of education equivalent to favorite schools, but also applies the concept of a dormitory to create a conducive and integrated learning environment.
Indonesian Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf emphasized that the People’s School is the embodiment of President Prabowo’s commitment to honor the poor. According to him, poverty should not be a barrier for Indonesian children to access quality education.
“The president wants to honor the poor. They must have access to quality educational facilities, equivalent to leading schools,” Saifullah said during his visit to East Kalimantan.
He added that, although intended for underprivileged children, the People’s School will not be inferior to leading schools in terms of curriculum quality or facilities. The dormitory model that is implemented is also believed to foster discipline, independence, and social solidarity among students.
Full support for this program also came from the Deputy Minister of State Secretary (Wamensesneg), Juri Ardiantoro. According to him, all state resources will be mobilized to ensure that the People’s School runs successfully and sustainably.
“We support the Ministry of Social Affairs to lead the implementation of this People’s School. All resources owned, such as assets, personnel, networks of the Ministry of Social Affairs, and all state and private potentials will be dedicated so that this People’s School can run successfully,” said Juri.
He added that access to proper education has often been hampered by structural barriers such as poverty and limited territory. Through Sekolah Rakyat, the government wants to erase these boundaries and ensure that every Indonesian child, regardless of economic background, has equal opportunities.
“We want to eliminate the structural barriers that have prevented them from getting a decent education,” he explained.
At the regional level, support for the program is also strong. Head of the East Kalimantan Social Service, Andi Muhammad Ishak, said that five locations in East Kalimantan have been proposed for the construction of People’s Schools and are currently in the feasibility verification stage by the PUPR Ministry.
Student recruitment, according to him, is carried out strictly and based on welfare data. “Student recruitment is not carried out openly, but through verification based on the Integrated Social Welfare Data (DTKS) and data collection of beneficiary families of the Family Hope Program (PKH),” he said.
He added that priority is given to children who have dropped out of school or have never experienced formal education due to the economic conditions of their families. This is a form of real affirmation for community groups that have been marginalized in the national education system.
“Those who dropped out of school or have never attended school due to economic factors will be prioritized,” added Ishak.
Furthermore, he emphasized that the People’s School is not just an educational program, but a strategic step to break the chain of poverty between generations.
“We hope that underprivileged families are willing to let their children go to school. This is a great effort so that the next generation has better opportunities,” he concluded.
With cross-sector support and the involvement of various state elements, the People’s School is expected to be a concrete solution to create social justice in the field of education and strengthen the foundation of developing competitive Indonesian human resources. [-red]
