During a Cabinet meeting at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Friday, President Prabowo Subianto stated that the schools will accommodate students from elementary to senior high school.
He explained that the Sekolah Rakyat program aims to break the cycle of poverty, ensuring that children from poor families do not remain trapped in the same conditions as their parents.
The program is expected to provide better opportunities for younger generations to escape poverty.
Prabowo noted that each Sekolah Rakyat school is designed to accommodate around 1,000 students.
He further stated that 53 Sekolah Rakyat schools will be inaugurated within the next three months.
He affirmed that the Ministry of Social Affairs has buildings and land ready for use, requiring only minor renovations. Meanwhile, the remaining 147 schools will be established soon thereafter.
The government aims to establish 200 schools annually under the program, ensuring that within five years, each district—a local administrative division in Indonesia—has at least one Sekolah Rakyat school.
"The schools must be located in areas of concentrated poverty. We want to break the poverty cycle. We want to eradicate poverty as soon as possible, and I believe we can do it," Prabowo said.
Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf previously stated that his ministry has identified over 200 potential sites for the Sekolah Rakyat program.
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Translator: Fathur Rochman, Raka Adji
Editor: Anton Santoso
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