28,478 New Sekolah Rakyat Students to Receive Social Media Ethics Training

The Ministry of Social Affairs has confirmed that 28,478 new students at Sekolah Rakyat across Indonesia for the 2026/2027 academic year will receive specific instruction on the use of digital technology, including social media ethics. Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf stated in Jakarta on Monday that the training will be delivered during the school orientation period to foster digital literacy awareness from an early age, enabling students to filter productive information through a learning management system. “Even primary school children are being accustomed to using technology for the learning process, not for inappropriate things,” he said. This digital literacy guidance is considered crucial, so students need to be directed away from using devices for unproductive activities. “They are guided on how to use technology properly, how to select and sort information well, so that awareness is built from an early age, rather than the opposite for unproductive things,” he added. The Ministry reported that the 28,478 underprivileged children who have joined this academic year are divided into over 6,000 primary school students accommodated in 210 study groups. At the junior secondary level, there are 11,186 students in 373 study groups, while the senior secondary level includes 11,077 new students housed in 369 study groups. The national orientation for Sekolah Rakyat students will last three months across four waves, starting on 14 July 2026. Saifullah added that a special five-day period has been scheduled for students to receive mentoring from military and police cadets. This assistance is intended to strengthen the students’ character and discipline during their boarding-based education at Sekolah Rakyat. “From the time they wake up until they go back to sleep, there is a schedule that has been arranged in such a way. We hope these children can learn how to organise their personal belongings and school equipment, follow the existing schedules, and participate in the learning process in an orderly and neat manner from the moment they wake up until they go back to sleep,” he said.