Deputy Minister Agus Jabo: Headmasters of 'Sekolah Rakyat' Are Leaders of Change
The Headmaster of a Sekolah Rakyat is not merely a manager of an educational unit, but a leader of change entrusted with the mission of breaking the chain of poverty through education. This was conveyed by Deputy Minister of Social Affairs Agus Jabo Priyono during the closing of the Consolidation and Briefing Meeting for Sekolah Rakyat Headmasters for the 2026/2027 Academic Year, held online from the Ministry of Social Affairs office in Jakarta on Wednesday, 8 July 2026.
Agus Jabo addressed 191 Sekolah Rakyat Headmasters, comprising 166 headmasters at existing locations and 25 at new locations, along with 12 Regional PPK from across Indonesia, in an event centred in Kulon Progo, Special Region of Yogyakarta. He expressed his appreciation to all headmasters who had participated in the series of briefings and consolidation sessions over the preceding days.
‘Today is a very special and historic day because we are embarking on a new journey to provide education capable of changing the future of children from families who have not yet had the same opportunities,’ he stated.
According to Agus Jabo, Sekolah Rakyat is a mandate from President Prabowo Subianto that not only provides schools with modern facilities but also serves as a vehicle to break the intergenerational chain of poverty and free children from the shackles of poverty through education. He described Sekolah Rakyat as a ‘golden bridge’ built by the state so that children from poor and extremely poor families can cross over their limitations towards a better future.
‘The task of the headmaster is not only to ensure that the teaching and learning process runs well, but also to ensure that the children we guide can escape the poverty line and have a better future,’ he said. ‘Those who want to become doctors, we will guide them to become doctors; those who want to join the TNI, we will guide them to join the TNI; those who want to become police officers, we will guide them to become police officers; and those who want to become entrepreneurs, we will assist them to become entrepreneurs,’ Agus Jabo added.
He noted that Sekolah Rakyat is a boarding school with modern facilities, so headmasters must ensure that all infrastructure and facilities are managed professionally and responsibly as a mandate from the state and the Indonesian people. Agus Jabo also reminded the headmasters of the importance of professional, transparent, and accountable school governance, and encouraged the creation of a culture of discipline, mutual cooperation, service, and collaboration within the Sekolah Rakyat environment.
‘We are not managing ordinary schools. Sekolah Rakyat has a special task and a special mission, which is to break the transmission of intergenerational poverty through education,’ he said. Ahead of the implementation of the School Environment Introduction Period (MPLS), Agus Jabo encouraged all headmasters to make this momentum the birth of a Sekolah Rakyat culture that upholds discipline, hard work, deliberation, service, and respect for others.
He referred to the Sekolah Rakyat headmasters as patriots of poverty liberation who will become beacons of hope for children from poor and extremely poor families across Indonesia. ‘You are patriots, you are fighters, you are beacons of hope who will illuminate the darkness and guide children towards a better future,’ said Agus Jabo. He then invited all headmasters to prove that education can be a path to change for the poor and underprivileged. ‘Let us prove that poverty can be defeated through education and that Sekolah Rakyat truly becomes a path to change for our brothers and sisters who are poor and underprivileged,’ he concluded.