“So far, everything is ready. Even recruitment for students in Decile 1 schools has begun, so teaching and learning activities can begin,” the minister informed after the ECOGEN PKB event in Jakarta on Saturday.
He informed that 100 Sekolah Rakyat will become fully operational by early August 2025. While some Sekolah Rakyat locations are being prepared, new school buildings will be constructed for the program over time.
According to Iskandar, the Sekolah Rakyat that will begin operating on July 14 this year will utilize existing facilities, including existing schools, 100 buildings owned by the Ministry of Social Affairs, and local government buildings.
“While Sekolah Rakyat are running, we are building their special buildings,” he added.
Earlier, Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf emphasized that the government will ensure that Sekolah Rakyat students are enrolled based on the National Socioeconomic Single Data (DTSEN).
This is in keeping with Presidential Instruction Number 8 of 2025 concerning the Optimization of Poverty Alleviation and the Elimination of Extreme Poverty.
According to him, two types of Sekolah Rakyat would be established: pilot and permanent.
The pilot schools will be housed in renovated assets declared suitable for the program by the Ministry of Public Works. For example, they can use buildings belonging to the Ministry of Social Affairs or other ministries/institutions.
“Based on the assessment and survey conducted by the Ministry of Public Works, 100 locations were declared suitable, and these pilot schools will support over 9,700 students,” he informed at the Ministry of Social Affairs Office in Central Jakarta on Thursday.
Of the first 100 locations, 63 schools will begin operations on July 14, and the remaining 37 by the end of July.
Meanwhile, the construction of 100 permanent Sekolah Rakyat will begin in September 2025 and is targeted to be completed by June 2026.
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Translator: Agatha Olivia Victoria, Asri Mayang Sari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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