Gus Ipul Urges Sekolah Rakyat to Be a Priority in West Papua

Menteri Sosial Saifullah Yusuf (Gus Ipul) welcomed the Governor of West Papua, Dominggus Mandacan, and his staff to discuss strengthening the social protection programme in West Papua. The meeting was held at the Ministry of Social Affairs’ office on Wednesday, 4 March 2026. ‘There are three key assignments from the President that are the focus of the Ministry of Social Affairs, namely strengthening the National Social Economic Information Data Single (DTSEN), developing Sekolah Rakyat, and ensuring social assistance reaches the targeted recipients,’ Gus Ipul said in a written statement on the same day. He explained that the government’s social policy is anchored in Article 34 of the 1945 Constitution, which affirms the state’s responsibility to care for the poor and neglected. Its implementation is carried out through three main pillars: social protection, social security, and social empowerment. One strategic programme being advanced is the construction of Sekolah Rakyat as an educational facility for the poorest communities. The programme targets children from deciles 1 and 2, with admissions based on the outreach of socio-economic data and with all needs funded by the state. ‘Sekolah Rakyat is for children from the poorest families, but with excellent facilities, even five-star. Each school can accommodate around a thousand students. So, Governor, it would be a pity if West Papua does not have Sekolah Rakyat,’ he said. He added that building Sekolah Rakyat should be a priority in West Papua because education is seen as one of the main instruments to break the poverty chain. Gus Ipul also asked the regional government to prepare land of about 7 hectares as the site. He further explained that the government’s social programme in the future will be more integrated, data-driven, and aimed at breaking the poverty cycle sustainably. Meanwhile, West Papua Governor Dominggus Mandacan expressed appreciation for the central government’s attention to his region. He noted that West Papua comprises 7 regencies and 91 districts with challenging geography. According to him, Sekolah Rakyat’s presence is important to expand access to education for children from poorer families. He mentioned two regencies, Manokwari and Manokwari Selatan, as proposed locations and stated they are ready. In the meeting, Dominggus and Gus Ipul also agreed that Sekolah Rakyat managed by the provincial government should be directed to reach frontier, outermost, and least developed (3T) areas so that its benefits reach the people most in need. It is noted that besides Sekolah Rakyat, the government also allocated social assistance to West Papua Province in 2025 amounting to Rp200.844 billion, reaching 68,248 beneficiary families through various social protection programmes.