The step is aimed at preparing the students for work in the future, including those interested in working abroad.
P2MI Minister Mukhtarudin, in a press conference here on Monday, stated that providing language training is a main priority in cooperation between his ministry and the Ministry of Social Affairs, outlined in a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on integrating vocational education into Sekolah Rakyat.
"There are 166 Sekolah Rakyat schools operating, most of which are senior high school level. We will integrate them with the language and job skills training programs," he said.
Mukhtarudin explained that the six languages to be taught are English, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, and German. The language training is tailored to the needs of the global job market and the demands from partner countries that host Indonesian workers.
He added that the government is also open to the possibility of adding training for other languages, such as Portuguese, considering the expanding opportunities for cooperation with countries in the Southern European region.
The minister explained that, in addition to language training, the Sekolah Rakyat program will be integrated with vocational training, competency certification, and job placement, aligning with industrial needs within the country and abroad.
Nevertheless, he affirmed that the program will be implemented gradually, starting with the dissemination of information at the Sekolah Rakyat schools.
The Sekolah Rakyat program, which targets children from poor and extremely poor families, aims 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.
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Translator: M Riezko, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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