Amin, a 15-year-old boy who scavenges plastic bottles daily, also chose to seek shade in a corner of Suropati Park, reading an illustrated encyclopedia in a mini library there.
Since last year, Amin has had to drop out of school as his parents could no longer finance his education despite receiving government assistance.
His parents did not have sufficient money to pay for Amin's transportation to school, let alone provide pocket money or purchase school supplies.
Amin's father struggles with an online gambling addiction, while his mother works tirelessly as a domestic worker to put food on the table, though there are times when she has to borrow money from loan sharks.
Amin has been scavenging plastic bottles for the past six months to support his mother.
From morning to night, he wanders along Teuku Umar Street, Diponegoro Street, and Teuku Cik Ditiro Street while carrying a nearly torn sack filled with used bottles and plastic cups.
To cope with his longing for his school, Amin spends his afternoons at Suropati Park, reading from the free book collections in the library.
He is also worried that his reading, writing, and counting skills will deteriorate now that he is no longer in school when, in fact, he dreams of becoming a white-collar worker.
Sekolah Rakyat: A cross-ministerial effort
Amin's situation reflects the challenges faced by those born and raised in poor and extremely poor families in Indonesia.
According to the Education Financing Service Center (Puslapdik) data of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, as of 2024, approximately 1.3 million students from the poorest 25 percent of the population remain out of school.
In 2023, the Puslapdik data also revealed that 198.6 thousand students of junior high schools did not continue their education to the senior high level, while 95.1 thousand students of elementary schools did not continue to junior high school.
The primary reason for this is the parents' inability to afford their children's educational expenses, which leads them to drop out and work to support their families.
This situation has a negative impact on the quality of life for these children and on national development.
Low levels of education can increase the risk of poverty, inequality, crime, and various other social issues.
Furthermore, a lack of quality education can impede economic growth, productivity, and national innovation.
To address this, President Prabowo Subianto announced on Tuesday (January 14) that he would establish Sekolah Rakyat as free schools and apply a boarding school concept as part of the government's concrete steps to break the cycle of poverty.
He aims for children born in poor and extremely poor families to become agents of change, independent of social assistance, and contributors to achieving the Golden Indonesia 2045 vision.
The president then directed the Ministry of Social Affairs to actualize that vision, which led to Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf creating the Forming Team and Task Force for the Acceleration of Sekolah Rakyat.
The minister stated that the president has tasked his ministry with establishing 100 Sekolah Rakyat schools at the elementary, junior high, and senior high school levels by the end of this year.
To this end, the ministry involves various ministries and agencies, including the Ministry of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology.
Awaiting Sekolah Rakyat
To meet the target, the minister is deploying all available resources from his ministry, including infrastructure and offices.
According to Yusuf, 50 buildings, including centers and offices, and two universities—Surabaya State University and Brawijaya University—are ready to implement the Sekolah Rakyat program.
In terms of location, he stated that 53 sites are currently prepared for implementing the free school program, which is expected to begin in July this year.
He explained that under the Sekolah Rakyat concept, each school has a dormitory estimated to accommodate hundreds of students, with a minimum capacity of 100.
In addition to economic eligibility–students must be poor or extremely poor–the prospective students' academic status is also considered in the admission process.
Regarding the needs of teachers and the curriculum for Sekolah Rakyat, the social affairs minister has requested that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology prepare them.
He noted that Sekolah Rakyat would seek competent teachers willing to be deployed anywhere, ensuring that the schools maintain quality standards despite being free.
According to Yusuf, the student admissions and teacher recruitment processes are planned to start in late March or early April 2025, following approval from the president.
"If everything goes according to plan, registration will open in the next one to two months," he stated.
Primary and Secondary Education Minister Abdul Mu'ti said two curriculum schemes can be adopted in these schools, provided by his ministry and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology.
"They can apply the excellent school curriculum of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology. They can also apply the school curriculum currently in use and created by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education," he explained.
He explained that the difference between the two lies in the applied standards. For example, the excellent school curriculum of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology adheres to international standards.
He noted that these international standards include preparing students for dormitory life and providing high-standard education. They even include the potential to bring foreign teachers from abroad to collaborate with the local teaching staff.
Meanwhile, the curriculum prepared by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education follows national standards known as the Merdeka Belajar (Freedom in Learning) Curriculum.
The curriculum is designed to accommodate all the needs of students, including children with special needs.
Furthermore, he added that the curriculum emphasizes a deep understanding of learning materials supported by fun learning.
In addition to formal subjects, the Sekolah Rakyat curriculum will emphasize the strengthening of character, leadership, nationalism, and skills.
Through Sekolah Rakyat, the government aims to create agents of change who not only improve the quality of life of the children and their families but also support national development towards Golden Indonesia 2045.
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Translator: Hana Dewi, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
