Emotional Moment in Sukoharjo as Mother Rejoices Over Daughter's New School Uniform

Buying new school uniforms is a routine event for many parents, but not for Titin Lestari. Due to economic hardships, she could only provide second-hand uniforms to her daughter, Lia Maharani, from primary through to junior high school. However, this situation has changed following the introduction of the ‘Sekolah Rakyat’ (People’s School) programme, a free education initiative launched by President Prabowo Subianto.

Titin Lestari could not hide her joy as she watched Lia wear a new school uniform for the first time at Sekolah Rakyat. Previously, Lia had relied on hand-me-down uniforms from neighbours. “During primary school, I was given uniforms by my neighbours. When I was ill during junior high, I couldn’t afford new ones, so neighbours helped. I asked three different people; some were too small, others too large,” Titin said, as reported by the Ministry of Social Affairs.

Titin shared her story during a dialogue with the Minister of Social Affairs, Saifullah Yusuf (Gus Ipul), during an Open House and orientation programme in Sukoharjo, Central Java. A resident of Combongan, Titin earns a daily net profit of Rp 46,000 from selling onion crackers, while her husband, Misju, works as a casual farm labourer. Their income is only sufficient for daily necessities.

Minister Gus Ipul noted that Sekolah Rakyat serves as a social lever to ensure all Indonesian children have access to free, quality education. He described the programme as a gift from President Prabowo to families in the lowest socio-economic brackets. He explained that students are selected through direct outreach based on Decile 1 and 2 data from the National Socio-Economic Single Data (DTSEN) managed by BPS, rather than through traditional registration.

Furthermore, the programme does not require academic entrance exams; instead, it utilises ‘DNA talent mapping’ to identify students’ interests and aptitudes. Gus Ipul reassured parents that even students who struggle with basic literacy can succeed within the system, citing examples of students who have achieved great things despite initial challenges.