Synergy Between Agencies Accelerates the Establishment of People’s Schools According to President Prabowo’s Directions
By: Farhan Farisan )*
The government continues to accelerate the establishment of People’s Schools. This program is designed to expand access to education for underprivileged communities, while reducing social disparities due to educational inequality in various regions of Indonesia.
To realize the target, synergy across ministries and institutions is a key element. One concrete form of this cooperation is the collaboration between the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency (ATR/BPN), which focuses on resolving land issues and accelerating land certification for the construction of People’s Schools.
Minister of Social Affairs (Mensos), Saifullah Yusuf, said that many city governments are still having difficulty in meeting land requirements for People’s Schools. This is especially true in densely populated areas, where land availability is limited and the certification process is slow.
As a solution, the People’s School Desk which has been formed under the coordination of the Ministry of Social Affairs has begun to collaborate with more parties, including ATR/BPN, to accelerate the resolution of these technical problems.
Social Minister Saifullah Yusuf also emphasized the importance of collaboration between the central and regional governments in optimizing the use of state assets or unproductive lands that can be converted for the construction of People’s Schools. In addition, bureaucratic obstacles can be minimized so that access to education for the underprivileged can be realized immediately and evenly throughout Indonesia.
Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/Head of the National Land Agency (ATR/BPN) Nusron Wahid, said that the land certification process for the People’s School will not take more than two months. In fact, in the early stages of land search, his ministry is ready to help find a strategic location that suits the needs.
The Ministry of ATR/BPN is strongly committed to fully supporting the Sekolah Rakyat program, including by accelerating the certification process of the required land. This support reflects the collaborative approach carried out by the central government in implementing the national strategic program.
This step is a breath of fresh air for the local government which previously experienced stagnation in the construction of the People’s School unit due to land administration issues. Legal certainty over land is an important foundation before construction begins.
Not only accelerating certification, the meeting of the two ministers also touched on the issue of land status and ownership which is often polemic. The government wants to ensure that the land used is truly free from conflict and legally valid.
This acceleration effort is in line with President Prabowo’s direction which emphasizes the importance of equal access to education as the foundation of Indonesian human development. Sekolah Rakyat is a manifestation of the vision of inclusive education that sides with the common people.
The President has paid great attention to the success of this program. On various occasions, the President emphasized that no more Indonesian children should be left behind simply because of economic factors or limited educational infrastructure.
The People’s School is expected to not only be a place for formal learning, but also a center for community empowerment. The curriculum and teaching approach are designed to prioritize local values, family economic empowerment, and life skills.
In addition to these two main ministries, support from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Education, and local governments is essential for this program to run comprehensively and sustainably.
In the future, the government plans to map the needs for the development of People’s Schools based on social and population data. This aims to ensure that development is carried out on target and reaches areas that really need it.
The People’s School Program is also considered as part of the government’s strategy to strengthen social cohesion. By providing equal access to education, the potential for social conflict due to economic disparities can be significantly reduced.
Accelerating the development of People’s Schools also opens up opportunities for collaboration with the private sector and civil society organizations engaged in education and community empowerment.
In the initial stage, the construction of People’s Schools will be focused on areas with extreme poverty rates and low human development index (HDI). The government is targeting one hundred People’s Schools to be built in the first year of the program’s implementation.
The synergy between agencies established in this process shows the government’s commitment not to work alone. Collaboration is the key to success in implementing development programs that have a direct impact on the community.
The People’s School Program is a concrete manifestation of the government’s efforts to create social justice and build a more inclusive future for Indonesia. With solid cooperation, major targets in the education sector are now within realistic reach.
On the other hand, local governments are also encouraged to be more proactive in identifying potential lands in their respective regions. Collaboration between the central and local governments is an important prerequisite in ensuring that every stage of the People’s School development runs smoothly without protracted bureaucratic obstacles.
Through this acceleration, it is hoped that the People’s School can operate soon and become a real symbol of the state’s presence in guaranteeing the basic rights of every child to receive an education. With a legal basis, technical support, and cross-sector cooperation, this program will be a turning point in the equalization of national education.
)* The author is a Bandung student living in Jakarta
