Gus Ipul Urges Tailored Support for Sekolah Rakyat Students
Students at Sekolah Rakyat possess diverse backgrounds and needs. Consequently, assessment serves as the foundation for determining appropriate learning support, care, and social rehabilitation services tailored to each student’s specific condition.
This was stated by the Minister of Social Affairs, Saifullah Yusuf (Gus Ipul), during a briefing to the Ministry of Social Affairs officials, Heads of Sentra, Heads of Balai, and Heads of Sekolah Rakyat. The session was attended online by Heads of Sentra and Heads of Sekolah Rakyat from across Indonesia.
“In Sekolah Rakyat, remember, assessment is not an administrative formality. Assessment is what determines what kind of learning support is provided, what kind of care is needed, and what kind of social rehabilitation must be implemented for every child,” Gus Ipul said in a written statement on Monday (5/10/2026).
According to Gus Ipul, Sekolah Rakyat students have varied backgrounds and conditions. Students are reached based on the National Socio-Economic Single Data (DTSEN), specifically Decile 1 and 2, meaning they do not undergo academic selection. Therefore, initial assessments are necessary to identify the physical condition, basic academic ability, mental state, and psychosocial vulnerability of each student.
“Without proper assessment, teachers may teach incorrectly, and caregivers may provide the wrong guidance. Therefore, the entire process I am explaining revolves around a single axis: accurate data and assessment for every child,” he said.
Gus Ipul explained that assessment results form the basis for developing individual student development plans. The education and rehabilitation processes run in tandem through academic learning guided by teachers, alongside care and rehabilitation involving caregivers, dormitory wardens, and Ministry of Social Affairs Sentra.
Students with low to moderate vulnerability levels can receive assistance within the school environment through character building and daily habituation. Meanwhile, students with high vulnerability levels can be referred to Ministry of Social Affairs Sentra to receive treatment requiring more specialised expertise.
“Teachers, caregivers, dormitory wardens, school principals, and Sentra must operate within the same case management mechanism. If one wheel wobbles or moves without coordination with the others, it is the child who suffers,” he asserted.
Gus Ipul stated that the success of Sekolah Rakyat is not measured solely by grade promotion. There are three target basic competencies: students must possess strong academic abilities, character encompassing discipline, resilience, and ethics, and practical skills, including foreign language proficiency and technological competence.
Furthermore, students’ readiness to pursue further education or enter the workforce is prepared starting from the second year of senior high school. Specialisation is adjusted according to their intended path, whether through academic routes, the workforce, or entrepreneurship.
“Graduating from Sekolah Rakyat is not the finish line. It is the gateway to two paths: the academic path to higher education and the career path as a skilled worker or entrepreneur,” he said.
To ensure an integrated assistance process, Gus Ipul emphasised the importance of coordination between schools, Sentra, and all relevant parties. He also requested that students requiring psychosocial services be addressed immediately so they receive treatment according to their needs without undue delay.
“Heads of Sentra must be ready at all times to receive referrals for high-risk psychosocial cases. We must not allow those in need of help to wait too long due to slow coordination or indifference,” he said.
Gus Ipul also requested all parties to use the same data regarding every student so that a child’s progress can be monitored comprehensively. According to him, the business process of Sekolah Rakyat is not merely to fulfil documentation, but to ensure that students’ social mobility increases and the transmission of intergenerational poverty can be broken.
“This is created to ensure that students’ social mobility increases and the transmission of intergenerational poverty can truly be broken. It is not just discourse, but work that we can measure, monitor, and be accountable for,” he concluded.