Minister Dody Confirms Sekolah Rakyat Buildings to Be Functional by July 2026, Workers Pledge Maximum Effort

Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo conducted a surprise inspection of the Sekolah Rakyat (SR) 2 construction project in Sukoharjo Regency, Central Java, on Sunday (14/6). The unannounced visit aimed to ensure the readiness of the educational infrastructure, which is targeted to be operational for the start of the 2026-2027 New Academic Year. When met by Minister Dody, SR construction workers pledged to work tirelessly to complete the development on schedule. During his visit, Minister Dody highlighted the success of the Sukoharjo SR project, which has now entered the ‘green zone’, meaning it is on track with planning targets. This was achieved despite the project previously being hampered by damage to village roads used by heavy project vehicles. ‘In almost all locations that use public access, we encounter similar obstacles. Village or district roads are usually not suitable for heavy equipment. Therefore, service providers (contractors) must indeed make extra efforts, a sort of CSR, to prepare or repair their working roads first,’ said Minister Dody during an interview at the project site. Minister Dody cited a similar obstacle in Brebes, where the implementing party had to build a temporary Bailey bridge. ‘This was so that logistics distribution would not disrupt the activities of local residents,’ he explained. Minister Dody stated that nationally, the average construction progress of Sekolah Rakyat across various regions of Indonesia has reached 78 percent. The main focus of the Ministry of Public Works is currently to ensure the main buildings, namely the elementary, junior high, and senior high school levels, can be functional for use by mid-July. Specifically for the work in Sukoharjo, Minister Dody is targeting physical readiness to reach more than 90 percent by that deadline. ‘We remain optimistic. At a minimum, we can complete the elementary, junior high, and senior high school buildings first so that the children can enter the new school in the new academic year this July. Even if some places are not 100 percent finished, they must at least be functional,’ he stressed. Notably, during the inspection, Minister Dody had his own method for checking project quality and progress. Rather than just viewing the building facade from the front, he chose to directly inspect the rear area of the project.