The ministry's Secretary General, Robben Rico, noted that procurement of the laptops is planned based on the number of students in each school, so the total may increase.
"The number of students is around 9,700 for the first 100 schools," he remarked after monitoring the simulation of Sekolah Rakyat implementation at the Handayani Center of the Ministry of Social Affairs in Jakarta on Wednesday.
He emphasized that those laptops will be used by students during classroom learning activities and will not be taken to their dormitories.
Rico assured that each student will be able to use one laptop, without having to take turns during the learning process.
Regarding procurement, he explained that the laptops are reviewed by a team of experts to determine specifications that meet the students' learning needs, and that no specific laptop brand is being targeted.
As for internet network infrastructure, he stated that the ministry ensures each Sekolah Rakyat school is equipped with internet access to support the learning process.
Sekolah Rakyat is part of the government's efforts to break the cycle of poverty in Indonesia, in line with Presidential Instruction Number 8 of 2025 on the Optimization of Poverty Alleviation and Extreme Poverty Eradication.
A total of 63 Sekolah Rakyat schools are set to begin operating on July 14, 2025. Meanwhile, another 37 schools are expected to open in late July or early August 2025.
In the next phase of the program, which targets children from poor and extremely poor families, the government aims to add 100 more schools for the 2025–2026 academic year, as requested by President Prabowo Subianto.
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Translator: Hana Dewi, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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