Budisatrio Djiwandono Impressed by Students at People's School Mastering Four Languages

As an initial step, G Budisatrio Djiwandono, Chairman of the National Karang Taruna Board (PNKT), along with his team, directly inspected Sekolah Rakyat Menengah Atas (SRMA) 13 in Bekasi, West Java. During the visit, Budisatrio also provided motivation and encouragement to the students. “We heard earlier that many students no longer have parents, their parents work as daily labourers, scavengers, or cleaners, and have very limited incomes,” said Budisatrio in his statement on Wednesday (13/5/2026). Previously, Gus Ipul invited Budisatrio to directly observe the learning process in classrooms, the library, and the laboratory. The two also interacted with the students and watched performances of cheers and variations of marching on the field. After touring the school, Budisatrio admitted he was impressed by the spirit and abilities of the Sekolah Rakyat students. “We spent more than an hour touring the facilities, observing activities, and even dialoguing with the SRMA children,” he said. According to him, President Prabowo Subianto’s priority programme opens opportunities for children from poor and extremely poor families to achieve a better future through free boarding education. Budisatrio also expressed admiration for the students’ ability to deliver speeches in four foreign languages. “I can only say wow,” he said while giving a thumbs up. He hopes the students do not stop dreaming of becoming leaders in the future because they have great potential to hold various important positions in various professional fields. In addition to providing motivation, Karang Taruna is said to continue supporting the Sekolah Rakyat programme going forward. Budisatrio emphasised that Karang Taruna is ready to support the Ministry of Social Affairs in reaching children who need access to education. “We will encourage our cadres to also help the Ministry of Social Affairs, on the next opportunity to find children who indeed need our help and touch, so that their future is better,” he added. Meanwhile, Gus Ipul said Budisatrio also plans to bring guests from various countries to see the programme directly. “Insyaallah, at some point, Pak Budi will bring guests from various countries, or ambassadors from various countries. Hopefully it can be realised. Because Sekolah Rakyat will hold an open house in commemoration of the 1st anniversary of Sekolah Rakyat,” said Gus Ipul. On that occasion, the Head of SRMA 13 Bekasi, Lastri Fajarwati, stated that the school currently has 180 students consisting of 76 boys and 104 girls. According to Lastri, over the 10 months of operation, the students have shown many positive developments, both in academic and non-academic fields. “Alhamdulillah, in these 10 months, several students have achieved accomplishments, both in academic and non-academic fields. Like Misfan here, he is the national level English Olympiad champion,” said Lastri while pointing to one student who served as the master of ceremony (MC). Also present at the event were the Director General of Social Rehabilitation of the Ministry of Social Affairs, Supomo, the Director General of Protection and Social Security of the Ministry of Social Affairs, Agus Zainal Arifin, and several other Ministry of Social Affairs officials. In addition, the Secretary General of PNKT, A. Malik Haramain, the Daily Chairman of PNKT, Sabam Rajagukguk, the Deputy Chairman of PNKT, Arfan Arlanda, Riezky Aprilia, Fuji Abdul Rohman, Deputy Secretary General of PNKT, Fabian A. Cornellis, Deputy Head of the Bureau of PNKT, Iqbal Suyudi, Chairman of the OKK Division of PNKT, Syarif Hasan Alatas, and Chairman of the Media and Publications Division of PNKT, Fatkhurrohman Taufik.