The minister conveyed this during a coordination meeting to accelerate the provision of facilities and infrastructure of Sekolah Rakyat at the Ministry of Public Works office in Jakarta on Monday (April 14).
"These 53 schools already have existing buildings. These are assets owned by the Ministry of Social Affairs provincial government, city government, and district government, spread throughout the country that we want to optimize," Hadi noted in a statement on Wednesday.
Sekolah Rakyat is a free school program initiated by the government to promote equal access to education and eradicate poverty in Indonesia.
According to Hadi, the provision of quality educational facilities for the extremely poor and the poor is an effort to break the chain of poverty.
He remarked that although the program optimizes existing buildings, some adjustments, such as repairs and renovations, are still necessary.
He explained that in 2025, the government plans to open 200 Sekolah Rakyat—53 using existing structures as pilot schools, and 147 to be built from scratch.
He detailed that the schools will be spread across the country by referring to data on the distribution of poverty pockets.
By considering this, Hadi remarked that Sekolah Rakyat will be prioritized in densely populated areas with high rates of extreme poverty.
Currently, the authorities are drafting a technical instruction that provides guidelines for teacher recruitment, student admission, and other essential aspects of the program.
During a plenary Cabinet meeting on March 21, 2025, President Prabowo Subianto announced the government's target of building 200 schools at elementary, junior high, and senior high levels under the Sekolah Rakyat program this year.
The president underlined that this year's target will be annual, meaning the government aims to establish 200 Sekolah Rakyat every year to ensure that every district has at least one such school by the end of his presidency in 2029.
Related news: Sekolah Rakyat prioritized for poverty pockets: Minister
Related news: Public Works Ministry pledges infra support for Sekolah Rakyat
Related news: Indonesia finalizing technical instructions for free school program
Translator: Sean Filo M, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
