Optimizing Educational Facilities, People’s Schools Increase Capacity and New Locations
By: Nancy Dora
The government has once again demonstrated its commitment to breaking the chain of poverty through the education sector by expanding the reach and capacity of People’s Schools. Through direct direction from President Prabowo Subianto, this program is targeted to accommodate more children from poor and extremely poor families. This initiative is not merely a short-term solution, but rather a transformative foundation for building social justice through equitable and affordable access to education.
President Prabowo Subianto also gave his approval for the use of the budget for renovations as long as it is carried out transparently and effectively. This support shows that the government’s commitment does not stop at the conceptual level, but is truly realized in real steps in the field.
The Minister of Social Affairs, Saifullah Yusuf emphasized that the development of People’s Schools must be carried out comprehensively and in a planned manner. There must be no half-hearted approach. The existence of this school is expected to be a new hope for people who have been marginalized by the conventional education system. By emphasizing the optimization of capacity and location, People’s Schools are directed to become a model of inclusive education that is relevant to the needs of the lower class.
The initial step taken was to increase the number of study groups (rombel) at points that were ready in terms of infrastructure. This intensification strategy allows one location of the People’s School, which previously only had two rombel, to be expanded to four rombel or more, depending on the capacity of the existing building. This can directly increase the number of students accepted, while maintaining budget efficiency by maximizing available facilities.
In addition to increasing capacity, the government has also set the expansion of the People’s School locations as a priority agenda. From the initial 65 locations that have been verified, it is now projected to increase to 100 points by the end of this quarter. This is a significant achievement that allows this program to reach around 10,000 students nationally. This addition was carried out without burdening the state with new construction costs, because most of the new points will utilize converted buildings, with light renovations using a transparent and accountable state budget.
Head of the General Bureau of the Ministry of Social Affairs, Salahudin Yahya emphasized that most buildings in districts and cities have the potential to be used as People’s School locations without requiring new land acquisition. This is certainly a smart and solution-oriented strategy, considering the limited state budget that must be used wisely to target more beneficiaries.
The head of the Sekolah Rakyat formation team, Prof. Mohammad Nuh, emphasized the importance of managing public perception. According to him, increasing capacity and expanding points is not a form of compromise on quality, but rather part of efficiency to accelerate the distribution of education. Quality remains the main standard in the implementation of this program, and all classes will undergo a curriculum and teaching process that is measurable and in accordance with national education quality standards.
The government understands that building people’s education is not just a matter of numbers or the number of students accommodated. More than that, Sekolah Rakyat must be an instrument for equalizing the quality of life through education that can reach and elevate the dignity of the poor. Deputy Minister of Social Affairs Agus Jabo emphasized that this expansion is not just an expansion of numbers, but is a manifestation of the state’s commitment to providing affordable, quality, and equitable education.
The Sekolah Rakyat program is scheduled to start operating in July 2025, covering 53 initial locations spread across various regions. In this initial stage, the implementation will utilize 45 assets owned by the Ministry of Social Affairs, 6 assets owned by local governments, and 2 assets owned by universities. The composition of the study groups that will be held consists of 1 elementary school class, 63 junior high school classes, and 67 senior high school classes. In total, around 3,275 students will be part of the first batch of beneficiaries of this program.
The public response to Sekolah Rakyat also showed high enthusiasm. Until early May 2025, more than 5,000 prospective students had registered, even before the program’s operations began. This fact shows that there is a real and urgent need for more inclusive alternative education access, and the government has provided a concrete answer to this need.
