One Year of Sekolah Rakyat, Deputy Minister Agus Jabo: Alhamdulillah, Quite Successful

Sekolah Rakyat has been one of the government’s efforts over the past year to address the problem of children from poor and extremely poor families who have dropped out of school, have never attended school, or are not in school. Although still in its infancy, the president’s priority programme is considered to be showing results. “It was indeed not easy at the beginning, but alhamdulillah, over this past year, the overall programme and implementation of Sekolah Rakyat has been quite successful,” said Deputy Minister of Social Affairs Agus Jabo Priyono during a CNN Indonesia talk show themed ‘One Year of Sekolah Rakyat Igniting the Nation’s Hope and Future’ at Studio 2 CNN Indonesia TV on Thursday, 25 June 2026. The Deputy Minister gave an example, saying that children or students who initially lacked self-confidence have become confident. “Those who were previously thin have become plump,” he said. Agus Jabo stressed that all Indonesian children must receive a proper education. “For those who cannot afford it, the state must provide their schooling. This is the concept of Sekolah Rakyat,” he said, joined in the talk show by Member of Commission X of the Indonesian House of Representatives Furtasan Ali Yusuf and Education and Career Consultant Ina Liem. The Sekolah Rakyat programme, Agus Jabo continued, does not only focus on children’s education but also on empowering their families to break the chain of poverty. “We empower the parents of these students so they can be independent, earn their own income, and live prosperously.” Agus Jabo said that Sekolah Rakyat is one of the state’s steps to break the transmission of poverty. “The President does not want that if the parents are poor, the children will also be poor. So Sekolah Rakyat is the state’s answer to breaking the chain of poverty.” Seeing the great benefits and the results achieved, Member of Commission X of the Indonesian House of Representatives Furtasan Ali Yusuf expressed full support for the Sekolah Rakyat programme. “Of course, 100 percent support. Because this is the President’s way of encouraging children who have no dreams to realise them,” he said. The Sekolah Rakyat programme, he continued, needs to be integrated with the national education system. Meanwhile, support for Sekolah Rakyat also came from Education and Career Consultant Ina Liem. She said that the concept of Sekolah Rakyat has a basis related to the home conditions of children from poor and extremely poor families. “So the idea is indeed very good. Because education actually starts from home, not from school. But the problem for poor and extremely poor communities is that their homes are not conducive to education,” said Ina. The boarding school model, according to her, provides space for children to receive more regular guidance.