Akmil Cadets to Mentor Sekolah Rakyat Students in Boarding Life
The Ministry of Social Affairs (Kemensos), in collaboration with the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), will deploy around 1,000 first and second-year cadets from the Military Academy (Akmil) to assist students at 178 Sekolah Rakyat locations. The boarding guidance programme will run for five days at each site, from 3 to 8 August 2026.
Deputy Minister of Social Affairs Agus Jabo Priyono emphasised that the involvement of the cadets is not intended to replace the role of teachers in the classroom, but rather to provide guidance to students in their boarding life. "This programme only lasts for five days, from 3 to 8 August. The aim is to help children living in dormitories become more independent. They will be guided in doing simple things, such as tidying their wardrobes, making their beds, and getting used to neatness in their uniforms," Agus Jabo said in a statement on Monday (29/6/2026).
According to him, the cadets will act as boarding life mentors so that students can adapt to their new environment comfortably, even though they are living far from their families. "The cadets do not teach in the classroom like teachers. They provide guidance in the dormitories so that Sekolah Rakyat students can live calmly and comfortably even though they are not living at home with their families. They also provide coaching to prevent all forms of violence, including bullying or senior students mistreating juniors," Agus Jabo said.
He explained that the implementation of the programme has a clear legal basis, namely Presidential Instruction Number 8 of 2025 concerning the Optimisation of Poverty Alleviation and the Eradication of Extreme Poverty. Agus Jabo added that the selection of Akmil cadets was based on their experience of living in dormitories, which makes them well-suited to guide the students with the right approach. "Why cadets? Because they understand how to live in a dormitory. That experience is what we want to pass on to the Sekolah Rakyat students so that they can adapt quickly and develop independent characters," he said.
During the implementation, each Sekolah Rakyat site will be intensively mentored by five cadets. The guidance material covers various basic daily life skills, such as ironing uniforms, tidying bed sheets and wardrobes, polishing shoes, and building independent living habits in the dormitory.