1,000 Military Cadets to Mentor Students at 'Sekolah Rakyat' in Character-Building Programme
The Ministry of Social Affairs (Kemensos) and the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) are collaborating to prepare a character-building programme for students at Sekolah Rakyat (People’s Schools). Approximately 1,000 military academy (Akmil) cadets will be deployed directly in the mentoring process. Under the plan, five cadets will be responsible for assisting each elementary school, teaching everything from how to tidy clothes to arranging dormitory rooms.
The collaboration plan was discussed during a meeting between Deputy Minister of Social Affairs Agus Jabo Priyono and Commandant General Lieutenant General Bambang Ari Novian at the Ministry of Social Affairs office in Central Jakarta today. Agus Jabo stated that matters of neatness are receiving special attention from President Prabowo Subianto.
“Once the scheme between TNI Headquarters and the Ministry of Social Affairs under the Ministry of Defence is finalised, the plan is for each Sekolah Rakyat to have five cadets. These five cadets will guide both students and teachers in matters of tidiness,” Agus Jabo said in a written statement on Wednesday (24/6/2026). He explained that this mentoring is crucial for shaping students’ character and discipline. Therefore, its implementation strategically involves elements of the TNI.
“Because we really need it. From the beginning, the Minister (Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf) has pushed for disciplining students from their old habitat to the new one at Sekolah Rakyat, which requires mentoring. So, if we implement this going forward, there will be no problem, in accordance with Presidential Instruction Number 8 of 2025,” he elaborated.
Meanwhile, Commandant General of the TNI Academy Lieutenant General R. Sidiharta Wisnu Graha expressed readiness to dispatch thousands of first- and second-level cadets. They will be distributed to carry out character-building activities at 178 Sekolah Rakyat locations. “We will prepare 1,000 personnel, including the cadet supervisors. The cadets we send will be from levels one and two,” Wisnu revealed.
TNI Headquarters and the Ministry of Social Affairs are currently finalising the implementation scheme for the programme. The activities are planned to begin rolling out in early August 2026 over a one-week period. Wisnu added that the practical materials to be taught include how to iron uniforms, tidy bed sheets, organise wardrobes, and polish shoes correctly.