People’s Schools Present to Equalize Access to Excellent Education
Jakarta – The central government through the Indonesian Ministry of Social Affairs has officially initiated the People’s School program as a strategic step to provide access to excellent education for children from poor and extremely poor families. This school not only promises facilities and quality of education equivalent to favorite schools, but also implements a dormitory concept to create a conducive and integrated learning environment.
Indonesian Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf emphasized that People’s Schools are the embodiment of President Prabowo Subianto’s commitment to honoring the poor. According to him, poverty should not be a barrier for Indonesian children to access quality education.
“The President wants to honor the poor. They must have access to quality education facilities, equivalent to excellent schools,” said Saifullah during his visit to East Kalimantan.
He added that even though it is intended for underprivileged children, People’s Schools will not be inferior to excellent schools in terms of curriculum quality or facilities and infrastructure. The dormitory model that is implemented is also believed to foster discipline, independence, and social solidarity among students.
Full support for this program also came from the Deputy Minister of State Secretary (Wamensesneg), Juri Ardiantoro. According to him, all state resources will be mobilized to ensure that the People’s School runs successfully and sustainably.
“We support the Ministry of Social Affairs to lead the implementation of this People’s School. All resources owned, such as assets, personnel, the Ministry of Social Affairs network, as well as all state and private potential will be dedicated so that this People’s School can run successfully,” said Juri.
He added that so far access to decent education has often been hampered by structural barriers such as poverty and limited territory. Through the People’s School, the government wants to erase these boundaries and ensure that every Indonesian child, regardless of economic background, has equal opportunities.
“We want to eliminate the structural barriers that have prevented them from getting a decent education,” he explained.
At the regional level, support for this program is also strong. The Head of the East Kalimantan Social Service, Andi Muhammad Ishak, said that five locations in East Kalimantan have been proposed for the construction of People’s Schools and are currently in the feasibility verification stage by the PUPR Ministry.
Student recruitment, according to him, is carried out strictly and based on welfare data. “Student recruitment is not carried out openly, but through verification based on the Integrated Social Welfare Data (DTKS) and data collection of beneficiary families of the Family Hope Program (PKH),” he said.
He added that priority is given to children who have dropped out of school or have never experienced formal education due to the family’s economic conditions. This is a form of real affirmation for community groups that have been marginalized in the national education system.
“Those who have dropped out of school or have never attended school due to economic factors will be prioritized,” added Ishak.
Furthermore, he emphasized that the People’s School is not just an education program, but a strategic step to break the chain of poverty between generations.
“We hope that underprivileged families are willing to let their children go to school. This is a great effort so that the next generation has better opportunities,” he concluded.
With cross-sector support and the involvement of various elements of the state, the People’s School is expected to be a concrete solution to create social justice in the field of education and strengthen the foundations of developing competitive Indonesian human resources. [-red]
