93 People's Schools in Final Construction Phase, Minister Reports
The government is currently completing the first phase of ‘Sekolah Rakyat’ (People’s Schools) construction this year, while plans for the next phase are already being prepared. Minister of Public Works Dody Hanggodo stated that around 10% of the target of 93 schools are still in the completion stage due to logistical constraints and limited labour.
Dody said approximately nine of the 93 schools being built have not yet reached 90% progress. Nevertheless, most of these schools can already be used for initial learning activities. “Nationally, there are about nine remaining. Out of 93, maybe 10% have progress below 90%,” Dody said during an inspection of the Integrated People’s School 1 in Sragen, Central Java, on Sunday, 26 July 2026.
According to Dody, the main obstacle to completion lies in material distribution, especially for schools located in areas with limited access. Some locations require shipping materials by sea before they can reach the construction site. “On average, it’s because of distance and logistics. They have to be shipped by boat, and then the road access is difficult. The main issue is logistics,” he said.
Beyond material delivery issues, Dody noted that the construction of the schools is simultaneously entering the finishing phase. This has increased the demand for skilled workers, while the available labour pool is limited. “During the finishing phase, the number of available workers dwindles. Almost all the schools are in the same phase, the finishing phase.”
During his visit to the Integrated People’s School in Sragen, Dody found several minor works that still needed improvement. He requested that the project contractor recheck the quality of the building, including the bathrooms and gutters. He stressed that accelerating construction must not compromise the quality of facilities provided to students. The facilities at the People’s Schools, he said, must be a form of respect for children from underprivileged families. “What we give to our younger siblings must be classy, not cheap goods,” Dody said.
Dody explained that the government is using the student holiday period for the pioneer schools to perfect buildings that are not yet fully complete. He said schools with less than 90% progress can still be used for school orientation activities. “Even though these nine are not yet 100% complete, on average they can already be functionalised. At the very least, they can be used for MPLS (school orientation) first,” he said.
Amid the completion of the first phase of construction, the government is preparing to build 102 new People’s Schools. He said the tender process will be carried out soon with a completion target of late 2026 to early 2027. “The next phase will see 102 schools prepared, and we will tender them soon. The target is for completion around December to January,” Dody said.
The construction of these schools will be carried out across Indonesia, following President Prabowo Subianto’s directive for every district to have one People’s School. Dody said the government also plans to increase the capacity of the schools. Currently, one People’s School has a capacity of around 1,200 to 1,300 students. In the future, the capacity is targeted to increase to 2,000 to 3,000 students.
According to Dody, the People’s School programme is one of the government’s main initiatives to accelerate poverty alleviation through education. “The People’s School is the main programme for eradicating poverty in the fastest and easiest way. By sending children from underprivileged families to school, they can pursue a change towards greater prosperity,” Dody said.
Previously, Deputy III for Partnership and Media Relations at the Government Communication Agency, Kurnia Ramadhana, stated that for the 2026-2027 academic year, the implementation of People’s Schools will be expanded from 166 locations to 182 schools. “Furthermore, for 2027-2028, the government is targeting an addition of 100 to 200 People’s School locations per year. By 2029, the government is targeting the construction of 500 People’s Schools across 38 provinces and 416 districts/cities,” Kurnia said in a press conference on Wednesday, 22 July 2026.
As of 21 July 2026, 93 People’s Schools are permanent schools ready to operate, alongside 81 permanent pioneer schools and eight new pioneer schools. The expansion is part of a gradual transition from a pioneer model to a more sustainable permanent education unit, ensuring that children from poor and underprivileged families receive a quality education. “With the increasing number of People’s Schools, the target number of students for the 2026-2027 academic year has also increased,” Kurnia said.
Referring to Ministry of Social Affairs data as of 8 July 2026, the target for new students is 6,305 at the primary level, 11,186 at the junior secondary level, and 11,077 at the senior secondary level, totalling 28,568 students. “Thus, the total number of People’s School students across primary, junior, and senior levels, from existing and target intakes, reaches 43,344 this year,” Kurnia stated.