Coordinating Minister AHY: 'Sekolah Rakyat' Dedicated to Economically Disadvantaged Communities

The Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY), stated that the ‘Sekolah Rakyat’ (People’s School) established throughout Indonesia, including in Papua, is specifically dedicated to economically disadvantaged communities.

“Sekolah Rakyat is an extremely important and fundamental programme for our underprivileged or economically weak communities, particularly those in Papua,” he said in Jayapura on Friday, following an inspection of a Sekolah Rakyat facility at the Tanjung Ria Industrial Vocational Training Centre (BLKI) in North Jayapura, Papua.

According to AHY, Sekolah Rakyat is a programme dedicated by President Prabowo Subianto to break the cycle of poverty across all regions of Indonesia.

“Education is fundamental; when underprivileged families lack the capacity to educate their children, the state or government must step in to provide a solution to this issue,” said Minister AHY.

“The tagline for Sekolah Rakyat is ‘Smart Together, Grow Equally’. When we want to advance the nation and advance Papua, the first and foremost thing that must be built is Human Resources (SDM),” added the Minister.

He further noted that while Papua possesses abundant natural resources, if it lacks competent human resources, future management of these resources cannot be sustained.

The Sekolah Rakyat programme, which is the primary responsibility of the Ministry of Public Works and the Ministry of Social Affairs, involves two stages.

“The first stage consists of temporary Sekolah Rakyat, such as the one located at the Industrial Vocational Training Centre (BLKI) in Jayapura. For Papua Province, we are currently preparing an integrated Sekolah Rakyat, which will be much larger and more comprehensive, encompassing primary, junior high, and senior high schools within a single complex,” concluded AHY.