Social Minister Saifullah Yusuf (Gus Ipul) received an audience from\nGorontalo Governor Gusnar Ismail and Pagar Alam Mayor Ludi Oliansyah at\nthe Ministry of Social Affairs office in Central Jakarta. The meeting\ndiscussed the acceleration of the construction of People\u2019s Schools in\nGorontalo and Pagar Alam.<\/p>\n
Gus Ipul emphasised that the People\u2019s Schools are a strategic\ngovernment programme to reach poor and extremely poor communities who\nhave not previously been touched by educational services.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is what the President is targeting, not those who are already\nin school. But those who have dropped out and those without access. We\nwant to ensure they have a future,\u201d said Gus Ipul in a written statement\non Tuesday (21\/4\/2026).<\/p>\n
He explained that the concept of People\u2019s Schools differs from formal\nschools in general. The system uses a boarding school approach with a\nmulti-entry-multi-exit scheme, allowing students to enter at any time\nwithout waiting for the new academic year.<\/p>\n
According to him, this approach is important because many children\nfrom poor families are forced to stop schooling to help their parents.\nWith the boarding system, children can focus on learning without the\nburden of family economic pressures.<\/p>\n
According to him, the boarding system is important for children so\nthey can focus more on learning without being burdened by family\neconomic pressures. Because not a few children are forced to stop school\nto help meet the family\u2019s economic needs.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf not boarded, they often return to work helping their parents.\nThis is what we are changing. Children must become an investment for the\nfuture, not a short-term source of income,\u201d he stressed.<\/p>\n
In addition, Gus Ipul stated that the government is targeting a\nsignificant increase in the number of People\u2019s Schools students. In\n2026, it is targeted to reach 46,000 students, and continue to increase\nto hundreds of thousands in the coming years.<\/p>\n
He emphasised that the success of this programme greatly depends on\nthe readiness of the regions, especially in providing clean and clear\nland. He also highlighted the importance of strengthening data as the\nbasis for determining programme targets.<\/p>\n
According to him, the role of village operators is key because they\nare the spearhead of data collection in the field.<\/p>\n
\u201cData is the key. The ones who know the conditions of the residents\nbest are the villages. Therefore, village operators must be strengthened\nso that the data we use is truly accurate, up-to-date, and accountable,\u201d\nhe added.<\/p>\n
On the same occasion, Gorontalo Governor Gusnar Ismail stated his\nregion\u2019s readiness to support the programme, including providing land.\nCurrently, the Gorontalo Provincial Government has prepared around 3\nhectares of land and is adding to the shortfall so that construction can\nstart immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are ready to support the acceleration. The land is being\ncompleted so that it can enter the construction stage soon,\u201d said\nGusnar.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Pagar Alam Mayor Ludi Oliansyah also conveyed a similar\ncommitment. He affirmed that the Pagar Alam City Government is ready to\nprovide more than 6 hectares of land and support the construction of\naccess infrastructure to the People\u2019s Schools location.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are ready from the land and access road side. Our hope is that\nPeople\u2019s Schools will also be present in Pagar Alam because there are\nstill many poor communities who need it,\u201d Ludi concluded.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/social-minister-pushes-for-accelerated-peoples-schools-in-gorontalo-and-pagar-alam-1776783053", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }