“As these are boarding schools, health issues must be addressed beforehand,” he said during a press conference here on Thursday.
He added that President Prabowo Subianto has instructed that any student found to be unwell must be provided treatment and be declared fully recovered before being admitted to Sekolah Rakyat.
Priyono said that the president has called for expanding the free school program from the initial 100 schools, which are set to start in mid-July 2025, to a total of 200.
“Mr. President has ordered that this year, we should open 200 (Sekolah Rakyat) sites with a total of 20 thousand students,” he said.
Sekolah Rakyat is a priority program of President Prabowo’s administration, which targets children from poor and extremely poor families.
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The Ministry of Social Affairs is coordinating with other ministries and agencies through a task force to ensure the program is ready for implementation.
Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Pratikno said that the implementation of the Free Health Check-up program in schools will begin with the Sekolah Rakyat in early July.
It will thereafter be extended to schools under the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education in August.
Earlier, Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf said that the first phase of the Sekolah Rakyat program will commence with the start of the 2025–2026 academic year on July 14 this year.
“We are ready for July 14, whether in terms of student readiness, school facilities, principals, teaching staff, or infrastructure," he affirmed on Wednesday.
Related news: Indonesia to launch free health checks in schools soon
Translator: Anita, Kenzu
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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