Government Combs Streets in Jakarta to Find Prospective Students for People's Schools

The government, through the Ministry of Social Affairs (Kemensos), is taking proactive steps by combing through market areas and street intersections in Jakarta and surrounding regions to identify neglected or school-dropout children so they can continue their education at People’s Schools. “We are conducting outreach through proactive measures by visiting spots such as road junctions and markets. We are looking for school-age children who should be learning but are instead begging or working to help their parents,” said Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf after a dialogue with prospective People’s School students at the National Administrative Institution (LAN) Complex in Jakarta on Wednesday. The Minister explained that direct outreach to crowded centres in Jakarta and its surroundings is one method employed by Kemensos teams alongside strategic partners such as the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) and Social Services Offices in the coming weeks. Additionally, the teams will visit homes of children from families categorised as poor and registered in the National Socio-Economic Single Data (DTSEN). Kemensos has announced that it has so far reached 77 children who meet the criteria as prospective People’s School students, with 29 of them found while active on the streets. Dozens of these children are currently undergoing verification processes for data completeness to be enrolled as People’s School students. The Minister stated that this verification and outreach process is targeted to be completed as quickly as possible so the children can participate in teaching and learning activities for the new academic year starting in mid-July. In this regard, the government has prepared 10 pilot People’s School locations utilising assets of government buildings in Jakarta and the capital’s supporting regions that have been declared feasible by the Ministry of Public Works (PU). “These 10 locations can accommodate no fewer than 1,000 students. We are collaborating with LAN, the Ministry of Transportation, the Ministry of Agriculture, the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), and utilising the Tagana Centre in Hambalang,” he said.