Gus Ipul to Visit KPK Tomorrow to Discuss People's School Procurement
Social Minister Saifullah Yusuf, or Gus Ipul, will visit the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Friday, 8 May 2026. He, along with the Deputy Social Minister and the Secretary General of the Ministry of Social Affairs, will request input regarding the procurement process for goods and services, including the procurement of shoes for People’s School students.
“Yes, we, together with the Deputy Minister and the Secretary General, will pay a visit to the KPK to seek advice and input, and at the same time, we will provide information about the procurement processes within the Ministry of Social Affairs,” said Gus Ipul when met at his office in Jakarta on Thursday, 7 May 2026.
Originally, the visit to the anti-corruption agency was scheduled for today. However, the schedule has been postponed to Friday morning at 10:00 WIB. According to Gus Ipul, the government wants to ensure that all procurement processes in his ministry run transparently and openly for public oversight.
On that occasion, Gus Ipul also announced the formation of a special team to delve into various procurement issues that have recently been widely discussed on social media and in mass media reports. He appointed the Deputy Social Minister and the Inspector General of the Ministry of Social Affairs to conduct the investigation and compile a report within the next week.
“In that regard, we have formed a special team to delve into the procurement issues that we know have appeared in various reports and on social media,” he said.
He stated that the team will specifically investigate the procurement of shoes and uniforms for People’s School students. In addition, the team will also examine the procurement of equipment for teachers in that programme. Gus Ipul emphasised that all procurements are carried out through a tender mechanism in accordance with procedures.
Nevertheless, Gus Ipul acknowledged that there are still several matters that require further explanation. Therefore, he said, the investigation is being conducted so that the government can obtain a complete picture of the issues developing in the public sphere.
According to him, the government is open to criticism and input from the public regarding the procurement of goods and services in his ministry. He noted that information circulating on social media needs further verification because not all of it fully depicts the conditions.
The procurement of shoes in the People’s School programme has drawn attention. The budget has come under scrutiny due to allegations that the price of People’s School shoes is Rp 700,000 per pair. The Corruption Eradication Commission has also commented on the alleged price markup in the shoe procurement for that programme.
The KPK reminded that the goods and services procurement sector is an area prone to corruption. “Strengthening corruption prevention is also a crucial point considering that the goods and services procurement sector still has a relatively high level of vulnerability,” said KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo to reporters on Monday, 4 May 2026.
Based on data from the general procurement plan on INAPROC, the total value of student school shoe procurement is Rp 27,541,500,000, using the e-purchasing method. From that value, there are two types of shoes with different package names. Each package name is student equipment school shoes and PDH (daily uniform) student equipment shoes.
Meanwhile, the procurement of other shoes, sports shoes for students, has a total value of Rp 19,672,500,000. There is also the procurement of sports shoes for teachers, with a total value of Rp 3,979,000. In addition, teacher service shoes amounting to Rp 5,570,600,000.