One Year On, How Has the Sekolah Rakyat Programme Progressed?
The government’s Sekolah Rakyat programme continues to expand access to education for children from low-income families. After a year in operation, it has recorded a number of achievements, from the number of pupils reached to the construction of educational facilities.
At a cabinet meeting marking two years of the Prabowo-Gibran administration, the government highlighted 265 Sekolah Rakyat schools and the return of 44,000 street-connected children to education. It also said that 30,000 schools had been renovated.
President Prabowo Subianto said Sekolah Rakyat offered hope to children from low-income families, enabling them to regain their right to education and pursue a better future.
“There is no more valuable investment than restoring a child’s future,” he said in a written statement on Saturday (24 August 2026).
Through Sekolah Rakyat, the government aims to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty by providing free, quality education, alongside empowerment programmes for pupils’ parents.
“If their parents have had a difficult fate and are facing hardship and poverty, their children must not remain poor. Under Article 34 of our Constitution, the state must intervene,” Prabowo said.
Reaching thousands of out-of-school children and vulnerable groups
Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf, known as Gus Ipul, said the target for prospective Sekolah Rakyat pupils in 2026 had been met. By early June 2026, more than 42,000 children had been identified through outreach, while the available capacity was about 32,000 pupils nationwide.
He said this brought the total number of pupils enrolled since the programme began in July 2025 to nearly 15,000 in its first year.
“Combining the 2025–2026 and 2026–2027 academic years, there are now more than 45,000 Sekolah Rakyat pupils across Indonesia,” Gus Ipul said.
Most prospective pupils reached were at junior secondary level, with more than 17,815 children. They were followed by 16,206 at senior secondary level and more than 3,597 at primary level.
The Ministry of Social Affairs has also reached vulnerable children living on the streets. Of those identified, 429 were contacted directly on the streets, mainly in the Greater Jakarta area.
Sekolah Rakyat pupils’ achievements
Sekolah Rakyat is not only a place of learning but also seeks to develop pupils’ potential in fields ranging from academics to sport. Earlier, seven pupils from a Sekolah Rakyat in Makassar won at the 15th Indonesian National Olympiad.
Ismi Ulfaida, a pupil at Sekolah Rakyat in Polewali Mandar, also made history as the programme’s first pupil to qualify for the national-level Pasukan Pengibar Bendera Pusaka (Paskibraka), the flag-raising squad for the 81st Independence Day ceremony.
Pupils from Sekolah Rakyat Menengah Pertama (SRMP) 21 in Manado also achieved success at the 2026 Surabaya Mayor’s Cup National Wushu Championship.
These achievements are among the indicators of the programme’s success in encouraging pupils to develop their potential.
Ministry building permanent Sekolah Rakyat schools
The government is also building permanent facilities as part of its efforts to develop the Sekolah Rakyat programme and strengthen pupils’ learning environments.
ANTARA reported that the Ministry of Social Affairs aims to build 500 permanent Sekolah Rakyat buildings across Indonesia over the next three to four years. More than 44,000 pupils are currently studying at 182 Sekolah Rakyat sites nationwide, 93 of which are already operating in permanent buildings.
Gus Ipul said the aim was for every regency and municipality to have a permanent Sekolah Rakyat building offering primary, junior secondary and senior secondary education.
“At the very least, over the next three to four years, there will be 500 permanent buildings like this across Indonesia, able to accommodate more than one million pupils,” Gus Ipul said.
Alongside improving educational facilities, the ministry will stage a showcase for Sekolah Rakyat pupils. The event is intended to give them a platform to demonstrate their abilities, talents and achievements, while gaining wider exposure to help prepare them for the future.
The showcase will be part of the inauguration of 100 Sekolah Rakyat buildings, scheduled to take place in Makassar on 28 October 2026. The ministry said the event would help raise public awareness of pupils’ potential and accomplishments.