The selection of students will be based on the National Integrated Socioeconomic Data (DTSEN), he said in Jakarta on Tuesday.
According to the minister, during the selection process, teams from the Sekolah Rakyat program will visit prospective students categorized as extremely poor and poor.
“There will be interviews and fact-checking. If they are really extremely poor, they will be asked whether they want to learn at Sekolah Rakyat or not,” he said.
He added that currently, 63 Sekolah Rakyat are ready to start operations from July 14, 2025.
Meanwhile, another 37 schools are expected to start in late July or early August 2025.
For the second phase of the program, the government is targeting to operate 100 more tuition-free schools.
This is in line with the directive of President Prabowo Subianto to increase the number of Sekolah Rakyat locations from 100 to 200 for the 2025–2026 academic year.
Earlier, during a meeting with the House of Representatives (DPR) in Jakarta on Monday, Minister Yusuf affirmed that all components for Sekolah Rakyat, such as the students, teachers, and curriculum, are ready.
He informed that the teachers, school staff, and principals were recruited using a mechanism laid down by a task force led by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.
The minister added that the academic programs at the schools follow national curriculum standards as well as boarding school programs. They will seek to strengthen the character, spiritual development, nationalism, and language skills of students, he continued.
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Translator: Anita Permata, Raka Adji
Editor: Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
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