9 People's Schools in South Sulawesi Targeted to Start Operating in July Next Year
The South Sulawesi provincial government (Sulsel) is strengthening synergies in education sector development with the Ministry of Public Works (PU) through the acceleration of People’s Schools. In Sulsel, there are already nine permanent People’s Schools under intensive construction, targeted to be ready for use in the 2026/2027 academic year.
This commitment emerged during a meeting between Sulsel Governor Andi Sudirman Sulaiman and Minister of PU Dody Hanggodo in Jakarta on Wednesday (22/4/2026). The meeting also discussed central government support for several priority infrastructure developments in Sulsel, ranging from roads, bridges, to irrigation.
“On that occasion, we also submitted several proposals for priority infrastructure developments deemed urgent, covering the road, bridge, and irrigation sectors in various regions,” said Andi Sudirman in his statement.
The Sulsel provincial government also reaffirmed its support for accelerating the construction of People’s Schools. This presidential priority programme under President Prabowo Subianto is designed for primary, junior secondary, and senior secondary levels with a boarding school concept to expand educational access for children from poor and extremely poor families.
The programme is also positioned as part of strengthening the human resource development agenda towards Golden Indonesia 2045. People’s Schools are present to support poverty alleviation efforts through more inclusive educational access.
In Sulsel, there are nine sites for permanent People’s School construction handled by the central government. One of them is located in the Sudiang Sports Complex area, Makassar, utilising land owned by the Sulsel provincial government as a form of regional support for the national programme.
The existence of these nine permanent schools is designed to strengthen and continue the services of 16 pilot People’s Schools currently operating in 12 regencies/cities. Their presence already serves around 1,750 students from various educational levels.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Sulsel Social Service Office, Malik Faisal, previously emphasised that the Sulsel provincial government continues to oversee the acceleration of this construction, including land readiness and fulfilment of environmental aspects. They also provide other technical support to ensure all constructions proceed according to schedule.
The central-regional synergy is strengthened by assurance from the Ministry of PU that the nine permanent People’s Schools in Sulsel are targeted to be ready for use in the 2026/2027 Academic Year. This assurance was also confirmed by the Director General of Strategic Infrastructure of the Ministry of PU, Bisma Staniarto, after reviewing construction progress in Sidrap, Soppeng, Wajo, Barru, Tana Toraja, Bone, Makassar, Takalar, and Sinjai on 27-28 November 2025.
“The standards must not drop. Schools must be completed on time and quality maintained,” emphasised Bisma, as quoted from djps.pu.go.id.
According to Bisma, the construction of People’s Schools is not only oriented towards physical completion but also the quality of facilities and learning environment. Each school is designed as an integrated educational zone with technology-based classrooms, skills laboratories, digital libraries, student health facilities, sports amenities, to spaces for character development and extracurricular activities.
Support for the construction not only covers school buildings but also supporting educational ecosystems to ensure the sustainability of optimal educational services. The entire design also adopts principles of energy efficiency and adaptability to local environmental conditions, in line with the direction of national educational transformation that is inclusive and sustainable.
The construction of these nine schools is divided into two work packages. Five locations, namely in Sidrap, Soppeng, Wajo, Barru, and Tana Toraja, are being built by PT Waskita Karya. Meanwhile, the other four locations in Bone, Makassar, Takalar, and Sinjai are being built by PT Nindya Karya.
The Ministry of PU ensures intensive field supervision so that construction progress remains on target, allowing all facilities to operate on time. For the Sulsel provincial government, accelerating the construction of People’s Schools is also a strategic step to strengthen educational equity and produce superior human resources.
The collaboration between Sulsel and the Ministry of PU serves as an important foundation for delivering more equitable, modern, and quality educational services. This further affirms the joint commitment to development that touches the basic needs of the community.