“Everything has been arranged so that the services will run smoothly,” he said after closing the second phase of the Sekolah Rakyat Principals’ Retreat at the ministry’s Center for Education, Training, and Professional Development (Pusdiklatbangprof) in Margaguna, Jakarta, on Saturday.
While the schools are not yet fully aligned with the nutrition fulfillment service standards of the Free Nutritious Meals (Makanan Bergizi Gratis/MBG) program, each school’s kitchen will be designed to meet the food requirements of students and educators, the minister assured.
“It will gradually be adjusted to meet MBG standards,” he said.
Sekolah Rakyat is one of the government’s programs for breaking the cycle of poverty and improving access to education for children from poor and extremely poor families across Indonesia who are registered in the National Integrated Socio-Economic Data (DTSEN) system.
Preparations for the first phase of the Sekolah Rakyat program, which will be implemented at 100 locations, are now in their final stage. This phase will accommodate 9,755 students, supported by 1,554 teachers and 3,990 education personnel.
According to the minister, once full capacity is reached, each school is expected to serve up to three thousand meal portions per day, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Yusuf informed that although not all teachers will reside in the dormitories, they will take turns monitoring the students round-the-clock to ensure their continuous care and supervision
In addition to the free meals program, Sekolah Rakyat will also provide complete sets of uniforms, including standard school uniforms, sportswear, sleepwear, and attire for certain activities, to students.
“Everything is on track, thanks to the strong inter-sectoral collaboration. We are also currently finalizing the design and production of the uniforms,” Yusuf added.
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Translator: Yoanita Hastryka Djohan
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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