Investigation into People's School Procurement to Conclude Next Week

The Ministry of Social Affairs targets the completion of the investigation into the procurement process for shoes and various other equipment for the People’s School next week. This investigation is being conducted by a special team formed by Social Minister Saifullah. “Next week, the investigation into this procurement must be clear,” stated Deputy Minister of Social Affairs Agus Jabo Priyono in a written statement on Saturday, 9 May 2026. Agus said the special team will conduct an in-depth internal audit of all procurement processes for the People’s School, particularly regarding the shoe procurement that has drawn public attention. The audit results will then be submitted to law enforcement authorities. “I request that this investigation be conducted thoroughly, as it will be handed over to law enforcement,” he said. In the same statement, the Inspector for Support Affairs at the Ministry of Social Affairs, S. Hartanto, conveyed that the procurement process has gone through qualification stages. The set prices have also undergone benchmarking, one of which refers to a comparative study at Sekolah Taruna Nusantara. The procurement of shoes and socks for the People’s School programme has come under scrutiny due to allegations that the People’s School shoes cost Rp700,000 per pair. Recently, the Ministry of Social Affairs confirmed that the shoes in question are PDL (field duty uniform) type shoes. The Rp700,000 figure is also the procurement price, while the realised price ranges between Rp610,000 and Rp640,000. Based on data from the general procurement plan on INAPROC—the national goods/services procurement portal managed by the government—the total value of PDH student shoe procurement is Rp27,541,500,000, using the e-purchasing method. In addition, sports shoes for students were procured with a total value of Rp19,672,500,000. There were also sports shoes for teachers, with a total procurement value of Rp3,979,000. Furthermore, teacher duty shoes amounted to Rp5,570,600,000.