{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1700541,
        "msgid": "house-commission-viii-provides-input-on-recruiting-street-children-as-students-for-peoples-school-1777121486",
        "date": "2026-04-25 18:48:08",
        "title": "House Commission VIII Provides Input on Recruiting Street Children as Students for People's School",
        "author": "Intan Pratiwi",
        "source": "REPUBLIKA",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Social Policy",
        "summary": "The Ministry of Social Affairs' initiative to recruit street children in Jakarta for the People's School programme has been praised by DPR Commission VIII member Atalia Praratya as a progressive step to expand educational access for vulnerable groups, identifying 77 potential students for the 2026\/2027 academic year. Atalia recommends strengthening the approach with comprehensive systems, including data integration, family-based interventions, psychosocial support, and cross-sector collaboration to ensure long-term sustainability and prevent dropouts. This effort addresses Indonesia's ongoing challenge of hundreds of thousands of out-of-school children, emphasising the state's constitutional duty to provide equitable education and break cycles of vulnerability.",
        "content": "<p>The Ministry of Social Affairs\u2019 (Kemensos) efforts to seek potential\nstudents for the People\u2019s School from street and market areas in\nPejompongan, Central Jakarta, have been deemed worthy of appreciation.\nThis is viewed as a progressive initiative to broaden educational access\nfor vulnerable groups. According to the data provided, 77 children have\nbeen identified as potential students for the 2026\/2027 academic year,\nwith 29 of them being out-of-school street children working in the\ninformal sector. DPR RI Commission VIII member from the Golkar Party\nfaction, Atalia Praratya, considers the proactive approach through\ndirect outreach to the field as an important breakthrough to complement\ndata-based mechanisms such as the National Integrated Social-Economic\nData (DTSEN). However, she believes this approach needs to be reinforced\nwith a more comprehensive system to avoid being temporary or partial.\n\u201cThe proactive outreach to street child hotspots is a tangible form of\nthe state\u2019s presence. But what is more important is ensuring that this\nprocess does not stop at initial data collection and recruitment, but\ncontinues with ongoing support,\u201d said Atalia in her statement on\nSaturday (25\/4\/2026). Nationally, data shows that the number of\nout-of-school children (ATS) in Indonesia remains a serious challenge.\nAccording to data from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and\nTechnology, the number of ATS still reaches hundreds of thousands of\nschool-age children, with high concentrations in densely populated urban\nareas and poverty pockets. Street children are the most vulnerable group\ndue to facing multidimensional barriers: economic, social, and\nprotection-related. In this context, Atalia provides several\nrecommendations. First, data integration and field validation must be\nstrengthened. According to her, a combination approach between DTSEN and\nfield verification needs clear operational standards to avoid bias or\ndata exclusion. \u201cValidation must involve local government, neighbourhood\nassociations (RT\/RW), and social workers who understand the real\nconditions of the children,\u201d said Atalia. Second, Atalia highlights a\nfamily-based approach as key. Because many street children work not\nmerely by choice, but due to family economic pressures. Thus,\ninterventions should not only target the children but also their\nfamilies through social assistance, economic empowerment, and parenting\neducation. \u201cThird, guarantees for educational continuity and social\nadaptation. Entering the People\u2019s School is not the end of the process,\nbut the beginning of a long journey. Children with street backgrounds\nneed psychosocial support, character building, and an adaptive\ncurriculum to prevent them from dropping out again,\u201d said Atalia.\nFourth, Atalia spotlights cross-sector collaboration because handling\nstreet children cannot be done by one ministry alone. Atalia encourages\nsynergy between Kemensos, the Ministry of Education, local government,\nand civil society organisations. \u201cWe will continue to push for the\nPeople\u2019s School programme not to become just a short-term affirmative\nprogramme, but a model for inclusive policy that is sustainable and\nmeasurable in its impact,\u201d said Atalia. Atalia also states that the\nsuccess of this programme must be measured not only by the number of\nchildren reached, but by how many can persist, develop, and escape the\ncycle of vulnerability. Atalia reminds that every Indonesian child has\nthe right to decent education in accordance with the constitutional\nmandate. \u201cThe state must be present not only to find those who are left\nbehind, but also to ensure they can move forward with dignity and a\nbetter future,\u201d said Atalia.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/house-commission-viii-provides-input-on-recruiting-street-children-as-students-for-peoples-school-1777121486",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}