One of these schools, Sekolah Rakyat at Sentra Handayani in Bambu Apus, East Jakarta, offers junior high school programs and has enrolled 75 pupils.
The orientation, which starts at 7 a.m. local time, features an introduction to the school environment, educational games, and a motivational session. The 75 students, all from underprivileged families, participated enthusiastically in the sessions.
Muhammad Azka Azri, aged 12, one of the new students at Sekolah Rakyat, said he was glad to participate in the school orientation with his peers.
"I am happy on the first orientation day. I am now in a new school, seeing new rooms, and meeting a lot of new friends here," he remarked.
Azka stated that after seeing the school's sound facilities and innovative curriculum, he is enthused to begin studying at Sekolah Rakyat at Sentra Handayani.
Among the facilities available at the 1.5-hectare Sekolah Rakyat at Sentra Handayani are air-conditioned classrooms, separate boarding houses and dining areas for male and female students, and other supporting facilities.
"In my old school, I just studied and did nothing more. However, this school has complete facilities and a more advanced curriculum. We have routine study sessions and activities. We also got our own laptop," the new student remarked.
He is also looking forward to spending more time with his new friends conducting the daily activities. "We wake up, perform the early morning prayer, exercise, take a bath, all with my friends," Azka added.
Similarly, another new student, Herlina Putri, 12, said she was motivated to study at the school with his friends. She became even more enthusiastic after seeing the proper facilities provided by her new school, including in classrooms and bathrooms.
The Sekolah Rakyat program was enacted by President Prabowo Subianto to provide education for children from underprivileged families.
In addition to Sekolah Rakyat at Sentra Handayani in Bambu Apus, over 60 other Sekolah Rakyat units commenced their orientation period on Monday. Meanwhile, 37 other units will start classes at the end of July.
At the boarding school, students will attend class from morning until afternoon, followed by character development sessions in the evening.
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Translator: Siti Nurhaliza, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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