Government Allocates Rp26.3 Trillion for Construction of 100 'Sekolah Rakyat' Next Year

The Directorate General of Strategic Infrastructure at the Ministry of Public Works has allocated the majority of its 2027 budget for the construction of Sekolah Rakyat (People’s Schools). The programme is one of the government’s priorities in improving access to education.

‘The construction of Sekolah Rakyat phase 3 is allocated Rp26.301 trillion for the development of 100 Sekolah Rakyat units and a portion of the down payment for Sekolah Rakyat phase 4,’ said Acting Director General of Strategic Infrastructure Kuswarda during a hearing with Commission V of the House of Representatives (DPR RI) on Monday.

In addition to Sekolah Rakyat, the government has also allocated Rp2.5 trillion for the revitalisation of religious schools and a budget for post-disaster rehabilitation in Sumatra. These three programmes are the main focus of the directorate’s indicative budget ceiling for next year.

‘The religious schools programme receives an allocation of Rp2.5 trillion for the revitalisation of approximately 471 religious school units in phase 3. Meanwhile, post-disaster management receives an allocation of Rp1.156 trillion,’ Kuswarda stated.

Beyond supporting education, the budget is also used to complete a number of ongoing projects such as universities, hospitals, markets, stadiums, places of worship, cultural heritage areas, and tsunami shelters.

‘Through the implementation of these three programmes, the Directorate General of Strategic Infrastructure supports efforts to accelerate the execution of national priorities while improving access to basic services and accelerating the recovery of disaster-affected areas,’ he said.

Nevertheless, the actual budget requirement for the Directorate General of Strategic Infrastructure reaches Rp50.876 trillion, leaving a shortfall compared to the indicative ceiling received. ‘The budget requirement for the Directorate General of Strategic Infrastructure is Rp50.876 trillion, with an indicative ceiling of Rp31.533 trillion, or about 62% of the budget requirement,’ Kuswarda concluded.