Minister of Public Works optimistic that Lhokseumawe People's School Phase II will be completed in June

The progress is good, and control and management are also running well. We are optimistic that the work can be completed on time, on 20 June 2026. Jakarta (ANTARA) - Minister of Public Works (PU) Dody Hanggodo is optimistic that the construction of the People’s School Phase II in Lhokseumawe City, Aceh Province, can be completed by 20 June 2026. “The progress is good, and control and management are also running well. We are optimistic that the work can be completed on time, on 20 June 2026,” Dody stated in his remarks in Jakarta on Wednesday. He appreciated the progress of the People’s School Phase II construction in Lhokseumawe City, Aceh Province, which has exceeded targets and shown positive performance. The project is targeted for completion on 20 June 2026. Based on the report as of Tuesday (5/5), physical progress has reached 54.64 percent, exceeding the plan of 51.84 percent with a positive deviation of 2.79 percent. The People’s School construction in Lhokseumawe City is located in Jeulikat Village, Blang Mangat Subdistrict, with a site area of around 8.4 hectares and a building area of 26,376 m². The project is carried out by the Aceh Strategic Infrastructure Implementation Work Unit with the implementing contractor KSO PT Pembangunan Perumahan (Persero) Tbk and PT Wijaya Karya (Persero) Tbk, funded by the 2025–2026 State Budget amounting to Rp262.3 billion. The Lhokseumawe People’s School area is designed as an integrated educational facility covering primary, junior high, and senior high school levels, equipped with dormitories, sports facilities such as basketball and mini-soccer fields, and other supporting amenities. The progress is supported by acceleration of work in various lines, including building structures, architecture, and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) work. During his visit, Minister Dody emphasised the importance of material logistics management, particularly steel, which must be intensively monitored. “Steel is now the main concept, so it needs to be paid attention to. But here, it was said to be safe,” Dody stated. The implementing contractor assured that all main materials are in the process of delivery, and most are already on trucks heading to the project site, thus supporting the acceleration of on-site work. The use of innovative work methods, such as combined concrete and steel structures, will speed up the work. Acceleration efforts are also being made by increasing working hours to two shifts. Currently, the number of workers is around 705 people and is targeted to increase to 1,000 people to meet the completion target on 20 June 2026. According to Dody, the People’s School is a strategic government programme to improve the quality of human resources while also serving as an important instrument in reducing extreme poverty, especially in disaster-affected areas. The programme not only provides formal educational facilities but is also equipped with dormitories and various supporting amenities. “The state must be present to honour children from underprivileged families. Through the People’s School, we want to ensure decent education access so that extreme poverty can be quickly reduced,” he said. Overall, the construction of the People’s School Phase II in Aceh is carried out through two work packages spread across several regencies/cities. Progress in several locations continues to be accelerated despite still facing weather challenges and limited material distribution access in some areas. The Ministry of Public Works continues to take various acceleration steps, including optimising logistics routes and adjusting on-site work methods. It is hoped that the People’s School construction can be completed on time, of high quality, and soon utilised by the community as part of efforts to alleviate poverty through improved education access.