Gus Ipul Inspects Construction of Permanent People's School in Semarang
Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf inspected the construction process of the permanent People’s School Central Java 2 Semarang in Rowosari Village, Tembalang Subdistrict, Semarang City, on Thursday, 9 April 2026.
On that occasion, the man familiarly known as Gus Ipul stated that the People’s School Central Java 2 Semarang is targeted to begin operations in June 2026 and is ready to accommodate 1,000 students from underprivileged families. The construction of the permanent building has now exceeded 30 percent.
“The construction process is underway, PT Adi Karya under the Ministry of Public Works is urged to meet the June target. Because in July, insyaallah, all students will be able to participate in the learning process,” said Gus Ipul.
He emphasised that the construction of the permanent People’s School is part of President Prabowo’s ongoing national programme at more than 100 locations across Indonesia. Each location is targeted to accommodate 1,000 students. “This year, the People’s Schools have already accommodated around 45,000 students, next year reaching 100,000 students. In 2028, insyaallah, more than 200,000 students,” he said.
Gus Ipul stated that this programme is a concrete step by the government to expand access to quality education, especially for children from underprivileged families who have not been fully reached by development. “The President wants underprivileged families to have access to quality education,” he said.
He explained that the project is designed as a boarding school with complete facilities, from classrooms, laboratories, libraries, to facilities for developing students’ interests and talents.
In its implementation, the People’s School programme involves multiple ministries and institutions. The Ministry of Social Affairs is responsible for operations, while infrastructure development is supported by the Ministry of Public Works, in collaboration with other ministries under the coordination of the Coordinating Ministry for Community Empowerment. Additionally, the People’s School construction programme absorbs thousands of workers on a massive scale nationally.
“At present, there are 100 construction sites. That means no fewer than 60,000 workers today are jointly building the Permanent People’s School Buildings. This is something extraordinary, and we truly appreciate, respect, and honour President Prabowo for his extraordinary commitment,” said Gus Ipul.
It is known that the Central Java 2 Semarang People’s School is built on a 65,000 square metre plot of land, with a building area of 27,372 square metres. This facility is designed to accommodate up to 1,080 students divided into 36 learning groups (rombel).
The composition includes 18 rombel for primary school level with a total of 540 students, as well as 9 rombel each for junior and senior high school levels, each accommodating 270 students. Entering the 18th week of construction, the work progress is recorded at 30.307 percent from the planned target of 31.34 percent, with a deviation of minus 1.033 percent.