Minister Saifullah Warns Against Bribery in 'Sekolah Rakyat' Admissions
Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf has warned that the outreach and student admission process for Sekolah Rakyat (People’s Schools) must not be tainted by bribery, collusion, and nepotism. He stressed that the programme is exclusively for families who meet the criteria as beneficiaries, particularly the poor and extremely poor.
The warning was delivered by Saifullah Yusuf during the opening of the School Environment Introduction Period at the Integrated Sekolah Rakyat I in Sragen Regency, Central Java, on Tuesday, 14 July 2026. Saifullah was accompanied by Deputy Minister of Social Affairs Agus Jabo Priyono and local government officials.
According to Saifullah, the government has prepared a special mechanism to ensure that admitted students genuinely come from families in need. The outreach process is conducted through Family Hope Programme facilitators in cooperation with local governments.
‘We work together with local governments, with the regent’s or mayor’s team, or the governor at the provincial level. Together with the education authorities, we reach out to families who meet the criteria to attend Sekolah Rakyat,’ he said.
He stressed that the process must be transparent and on target, as Sekolah Rakyat is designed as a government intervention to provide educational access for the most disadvantaged families. ‘There must be no foul play, no bribes, payments, or collusion to get into Sekolah Rakyat,’ Saifullah stated. He also reminded the public not to easily trust anyone offering assistance to enter Sekolah Rakyat in exchange for payment.
Saifullah explained that the government involves PKH facilitators because they possess the data and experience in reaching beneficiary families. Besides the Ministry of Social Affairs, local governments are also involved to ensure the data collection process aligns with conditions on the ground.
On the other hand, Saifullah acknowledged that the Sekolah Rakyat programme still faces challenges in meeting student quotas, especially at the primary school level. Out of a national allocation of around 9,000 students this year, the number of enrolled primary school students has only reached more than 5,000, while quotas for junior and senior high school levels have been met. According to Saifullah, one obstacle in filling the primary school quota is that some parents are still reluctant to let their children join the Sekolah Rakyat system, which implements an intensive mentoring education model.
The government has allocated a budget of approximately Rp4 trillion for the operation of Sekolah Rakyat this year. Saifullah mentioned that the estimated operational cost per student per month is around Rp3 million to Rp4 million. The budget is used to support the implementation of education, including various mentoring services for students from underprivileged families.
On the same occasion, Saifullah also conveyed the progress of Sekolah Rakyat infrastructure development. He said the government is beginning to transition from using temporary buildings to permanent ones. Of the 166 planned Sekolah Rakyat locations, 93 permanent buildings have entered the construction phase with varying progress, ranging from 7 to 100 percent. Additionally, there are 11 other locations currently undergoing a re-tender process. ‘So, a total of 104 are in progress. By the end of this year, the plan is to add around 100 more permanent building constructions at various points across Indonesia,’ Saifullah said.
Specifically in Sragen, Saifullah appreciated the local government for providing land, allowing the Integrated Sekolah Rakyat I to move from a temporary building to a permanent facility. He urged that the facilities be utilised optimally as they were built using state funds.