Bappenas: Tangerang City's 'Gampang Sekolah' Programme Needs Expansion

The National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) has stressed that the ‘Gampang Sekolah’ programme in Tangerang City, Banten, needs to be expanded so that more residents can benefit from it. Director of Systems and Risk Management at Bappenas, Prakosa Grahayudiandono, stated on Wednesday that based on a direct review conducted today, the programme has successfully delivered meaningful benefits to the community. ‘However, going forward, after this assessment, it is hoped that it can be continuously improved and even expanded further,’ said Prakosa Grahayudiandono after conducting a review at SMP Negeri 26 Tangerang City. Today, the Independent Assessment Team for the 2026 Regional Development Award (PPD) from Bappenas conducted a direct review of several implementation sites for the flagship ‘Gampang Sekolah’ programme in Tangerang City. Other locations reviewed included SMP Excellent 1 Belendung, the Benda Job Training Centre (BLK), and the ‘Bang Sama’ food service point, which provides affordable basic necessities within residential areas. Head of the Tangerang City Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappeda), Yeti Rohaeti, explained that the review process is part of the verification stage to observe the implementation of the flagship ‘Gampang Sekolah’ programme within the community. ‘This visit aims to see the real impact firsthand while also confirming the presentations that have been made regarding the programme’s impact on various other development sectors in Tangerang City,’ said Yeti. Tangerang City Regional Secretary Herman Suwarman emphasised that the Regional Development Award assessment is an important momentum to evaluate and improve the quality of sustainable development planning. ‘This is not just a competition, but an evaluation instrument to improve the quality of sustainable development. We are given the space to reflect on various development achievements while identifying areas that need improvement,’ said Herman. According to information from the 2026 PPD committee, Tangerang City has successfully entered the top five nominations for the best city in the Phase I Document Assessment Results for the Regency/City level of the 2026 Regional Development Award. The second phase involves interviews and verification to obtain confirmation from both government and non-government elements regarding regional development performance, the quality of planning document preparation, and the implementation of flagship regional programmes. The Tangerang City Government has guaranteed free schooling in 142 private schools, comprising 63 primary schools (SD/MI) and 79 junior high schools (SMP/MTs), for the 2026/2027 academic year. Mayor of Tangerang, Sachrudin, stated that the ‘Gampang Sekolah’ programme aims to provide equitable access to quality education for the entire community. The programme not only covers free tuition in public schools but also includes private schools that have partnered with the local government.