"To strengthen the 13-year compulsory education program, we aim to gradually establish at least one kindergarten per village," Primary and Secondary Education Minister Abdul Mu'ti stated in Depok, West Java, on Tuesday.
He explained that funding for the construction of early childhood education infrastructure will be sourced from the 2026 school revitalization program budget, which totals Rp14.06 trillion (approximately US$836.4 million).
Of the total allocation, the ministry will prioritize post-disaster school recovery, repairs to schools with moderate to severe damage, rehabilitation of schools in underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost (3T) areas, as well as the construction and revitalization of early childhood education facilities.
In addition to expanding the number of schools, the ministry is also set to distribute educational assistance under the Bright Indonesia Program (PIP) to early childhood education students starting in May.
The minister said the ministry is currently verifying and validating data for this year’s PIP recipients, covering both existing students and new students for the 2026/2027 academic year.
“For this year, the disbursement is expected to begin around May or June. We are currently in the verification and validation process,” he said.
The nomination process for PIP recipients begins with data from the National Social and Economic Single Data (DTSEN) for low-income groups, as well as proposals submitted by schools.
Under the program, each eligible student will receive Rp450,000 (approximately US$26) in educational assistance per year.
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Translator: Hana Dewi, Raka Adji
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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