Minister of State Secretary Surprised by Sekolah Rakyat Student Passing National Paskibraka Selection

A student from Sekolah Rakyat has successfully passed the national selection for the flag-raising squad (Paskibraka) that will serve at the 81st Independence Day ceremony at Merdeka Palace on 17 August 2026.

The news drew a positive response from State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi. Prasetyo admitted he had not yet been aware in detail that one of this year’s national Paskibraka candidates came from Sekolah Rakyat.

He added that President Prabowo Subianto likely also does not yet know the information, as the government has not reported it specifically to the Head of State.

“First, it seems he (Prabowo) does not know yet. He does not know yet, because we have not reported it in detail. Second, we ourselves as those responsible were also surprised,” Prasetyo told reporters in the courtyard of Merdeka Palace, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday, 12 August 2026.

According to Prasetyo, the Paskibraka selection process is carried out in stages across 38 provinces. The central government does not follow the entire selection process directly, so the news of a Sekolah Rakyat student being selected came as a surprise.

“This means that from the beginning we did not follow all the selection processes, because it involves 38 provinces, all running as they should,” he said.

Prasetyo said he felt proud and moved upon learning that one of the selected Paskibraka candidates came from Sekolah Rakyat. He said the achievement proves that equal opportunity can open the way for anyone to excel.

“And when we received the information that one of these Paskibraka members who passed comes from Sekolah Rakyat, we frankly also felt proud and moved, because it proves that whoever we are as fellow children of the nation, when given an opportunity or when there is an opportunity,” Prasetyo said.

He stressed that social and economic background should not be a barrier for someone to get the opportunity to excel. The Paskibraka selection, he said, shows that competence and hard work are the main factors.

“There is an opportunity or something that makes it possible to participate, no longer differentiating whether we come from a family that is more well-off or less well-off. Everything is based on competence, everything is based on hard work,” he said.