The directive was issued during the President’s state visit to Russia, according to secretary general of the Ministry of Social Affairs, Robben Rico, in Jakarta on Saturday.
“This Sekolah Rakyat initiative is the President’s own idea. It is not a Ministry of Social Affairs program, but it needs the support of all of you,” he said.
The new locations will utilize existing vocational training centers owned by the Ministry of Manpower as well as those run by provincial, regency, and municipal governments.
The government has formed a coordination team for Sekolah Rakyat program, which comprises cross-ministerial and regional task forces. For the program’s initial phase, 100 pilot locations have been chosen and are scheduled to begin classes in July 2025.
A total of 100 land plots, each measuring between 6.3 to 10 hectares, have also been proposed and will be readied for the start of construction in August.
While waiting for the new Sekolah Rakyat buildings to be completed, the government will implement a temporary building-use scheme for one year. The buildings will be renovated and later returned to local governments in a functional condition.
Rico explained that Sekolah Rakyat is designed as an integrated educational complex consisting of elementary, junior, and senior high school levels, which will be fully funded by the state budget.
The schools will adopt a boarding school model, providing not only a formal national curriculum but also character development, digital literacy, and vocational training aimed at preparing Indonesia’s “Golden Generation.”
“These children will also receive skills training so that 20 years from now, by 2045, we can realize the vision of a Golden Indonesia,” Rico said.
The President initiated the program in response to the high number of out-of-school children across regions. According to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), more than 227 thousand children of primary school age are currently not enrolled in school.
To date, 357 regional governments, including provinces, regencies, and cities, have joined the Sekolah Rakyat program.
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Translator: Mecca Yumna Ning Prisie, Kuntum Khaira Riswan
Editor: Primayanti
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