Bappenas: Tangerang City's 'Gampang Sekolah' Programme Needs Expansion
Tangerang (ANTARA) - The National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) has emphasised that the ‘Gampang Sekolah’ (Easy School) programme in Tangerang City, Banten, needs to be expanded so that more citizens can benefit from it.
Speaking in Tangerang on Wednesday, the Director of Systems and Risk Management at Bappenas, Prakosa Grahayudiandono, stated that based on direct inspections conducted today, the programme has successfully delivered significant benefits to the community. “However, following this assessment, it is expected that the programme can be continuously improved and even expanded in the future,” said Prakosa Grahayudiandono after inspecting SMP Negeri 26 Tangerang City.
Today, the Independent Assessment Team for the 2026 Regional Development Awards (PPD) from Bappenas conducted on-site inspections of several locations implementing the flagship ‘Gampang Sekolah’ programme in Tangerang City. Other inspection sites included SMP Excellent 1 Belendung, the Benda Vocational Training Centre (BLK), and the service points for the ‘Bentor Pangan Sahabat Masyarakat’ (Bang Sama) programme, which provides affordable basic food supplies within residential areas.
The Head of the Tangerang City Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappeda), Yeti Rohaeti, noted that the inspection process is part of the verification stage to observe the implementation of the ‘Gampang Sekolah’ flagship programme within the community. “This visit aims to see the real impact firsthand and to ensure the accuracy of the presentations regarding the impact of the ‘Gampang Sekolah’ programme on various other development sectors in Tangerang City,” said Yeti.
The Regional Secretary of Tangerang City, Herman Suwarman, emphasised that the Regional Development Awards assessment is a vital momentum for evaluating and improving the quality of sustainable development planning. “This is not merely a competition, but an evaluation instrument to enhance the quality of sustainable development. We have been given the space to reflect on various development achievements while identifying areas that require improvement,” said Herman.
According to information from the 2026 PPD committee, Tangerang City has successfully entered the top five nominations for the best cities in the Phase I Document Assessment for the 2026 Regional Development Awards. The second phase, consisting of interviews and verification, will be conducted to obtain confirmation from both government and non-government entities regarding regional development performance, the quality of planning document preparation, and the implementation of flagship regional programmes.
Notably, the Tangerang City Government has guaranteed free education in 142 private schools, comprising 63 SD/MI (Elementary) and 79 SMP/MTs (Junior High) for the 2026/2027 academic year. The Mayor of Tangerang, Sachrudin, stated that free schooling through the ‘Gampang Sekolah’ programme aims to provide equitable access to quality education for all citizens. The programme does not only waive tuition fees in public schools but also covers private schools that have partnered with the local government.