2,087 Beneficiary Families Graduate from PKH Programme in Klaten, Deputy Minister Praises Collaboration

A total of 2,087 Beneficiary Families (KPM) of the Family Hope Programme (PKH) in Klaten, Central Java, have graduated, meaning they are now independent, empowered, and no longer reliant on social assistance (bansos). Deputy Minister of Social Affairs (Wamensos) Agus Jabo Priyono stated that this graduation is tangible proof of collaboration between various parties to break the chain of poverty. “This is evidence of how collaboration between the central government and regional governments, collaborating with private companies, working together to break the transmission of poverty,” Agus Jabo said in a statement on Tuesday. He made the remarks while attending the PKH KPM graduation ceremony at Grha Bung Karno, Klaten, Central Java. “In Klaten, we have been able to graduate 2,087 Beneficiary Families who previously received social assistance. They have been able to migrate, become empowered, and independent,” he added before thousands of graduates.

Reflecting on the journey, Agus Jabo noted that President Prabowo Subianto, through Presidential Instruction (Inpres) Number 8 of 2025, had mandated the Ministry of Social Affairs to actively engage in poverty alleviation. He stressed that social assistance is only temporary, but empowerment is permanent. “The President does not want to stop at just providing social assistance. He wants all Indonesian people to be independent and empowered, hence these priority programmes were designed. He wants all Indonesian people to be able to smile. How can they smile? They must be lifted out of the poverty line. We must collaborate and fight as hard as we can as state apparatus to make our people smile,” he continued.

Agus Jabo congratulated all KPM who have graduated and are no longer dependent on social assistance. He described the graduates as life teachers for their families and communities because they succeeded in rising from poverty. “I want to congratulate the graduates of the harsh university of life. You truly deserve this honour and graduation because you are the teachers of life for your families and communities,” he said. He also expressed gratitude to the Central Java Provincial Government, the Klaten Regency Government, and the PKH facilitators who collaborated and worked together to improve community welfare.

In his speech, Central Java Governor Ahmad Luthfi called the graduated KPM pioneers. He said they have become motivators for other social assistance recipients to become empowered and escape the grip of poverty. “Pioneers are champions. Because you have graduated, it means you can stand on your own two feet. There should be no more social assistance recipients for years on end,” he said. Luthfi added that graduation is not the end of the journey, but the beginning of a journey towards success. “Today is not the end of your graduation. It is the beginning of success. I want you who graduate today to be able to tell your children and grandchildren that you have been graduated, not necessarily as a scholar, but you are a family hero because you can stand on your own two feet,” he said.

Meanwhile, Klaten Regent Hamenang Wajar Ismoyo revealed that based on 2025 data, the poverty rate in Klaten has decreased by 1.05 percent. This achievement is the result of the hard work of all stakeholders in Klaten Regency. “But because our starting point was still in double digits, from 12 percent, it has now fallen to 11 percent. Currently, there are still approximately 129,680 people classified as underprivileged or poor, spread across 26 sub-districts, 391 villages, and 10 urban wards,” he explained. He hopes that today’s graduation will spark enthusiasm and optimism among other KPMs so they do not solely rely on social assistance for their daily needs. “That life is not just about receiving assistance, but how starting from receiving assistance, a spirit emerges to obtain a better, more decent life so that they can eventually graduate and, God willing, become more prosperous in the future,” he hoped. In addition to the graduation of thousands of PKM KPM, Agus Jabo also symbolically handed over Social Economic Empowerment Programme (PPSE) assistance to 5 beneficiaries, each receiving business capital assistance of IDR 5 million.