"We will study and discuss with all parties to follow up on this proposal. This is still in the early stages," Minister of Social Affairs, Saifullah Yusuf, remarked after the inauguration of Sekolah Rakyat teachers in Jakarta on Friday.
Yusuf said he would further study the proposal, including in collaboration with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, as part of the Sekolah Rakyat formation team.
The minister revealed that among the 9,700 students currently enrolled at 100 Sekolah Rakyat units, some have disabilities.
"For instance, Sekolah Rakyat units in Lamongan, East Java, and Cibinong, West Java, have accepted students with intellectual disabilities," Yusuf stated.
Earlier, the Indonesian Association of Parents of Children with Disabilities (Portadin) proposed that at least five percent of Sekolah Rakyat be strengthened as inclusive schools to ensure that children with disabilities have equal access to education.
This proposal was submitted by Siswandi Abdul Rachim, a member of the Portadin Advisory Board, during a discussion attended by Minister of SMEs Maman Abdurrahman and Member of Commission VII of the Indonesian House of Representatives Rahayu Saraswati at the Ministry of Social Affairs office on Thursday (August 7).
Rachim explained that Indonesia currently only has around 2,396 Special Schools (SLB) for children with disabilities serving 7,287 sub-districts across Indonesia. On average, one SLB must cover up to three sub-districts.
This situation is considered to complicate access to education for children with disabilities, especially in remote and underdeveloped areas.
"We ask for consideration of this proposal. We believe that inclusive education programs, such as Sekolah Rakyat, can be the key to creating justice and equality, especially for children with disabilities, amid the limited number of SLBs," he emphasized.
Sekolah Rakyat is a boarding school program covering elementary, junior high, and senior high levels, launched by President Prabowo Subianto to address the educational needs of children from poor and extremely poor families.
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Translator: M. Riezko Bima, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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