Pekanbaru City Government Extends Free Education Programme to Private and Religious Schools

The Pekanbaru City Government has confirmed that its free education programme will not be limited to state schools. Through the ‘Zero Dropout’ initiative, the city administration will fully cover education costs for students attending a number of private junior high schools (SMP) and Madrasah Tsanawiyah (MTs) that have partnered with the local government. Pekanbaru Mayor Agung Nugroho stressed that no child in the city should fail to continue their education simply because of financial barriers or because they were not accommodated in a state school. “Parents do not need to worry about their children’s school fees. If they do not pass or are not accommodated in a state school, they can enrol in a private school that has partnered with the Pekanbaru City Government, and the costs will be fully borne by the government,” Agung said on Wednesday. According to him, this programme represents the city government’s commitment to guaranteeing the right to education for all school-age children. To facilitate this, the government has integrated these partner schools into the new student admissions system managed by the city. Agung explained that there are currently 23 private junior high schools that have partnered with the city government. Additionally, the city government is collaborating with the Ministry of Religious Affairs to accommodate students who wish to continue their education at madrasahs. “We are also working with the Ministry of Religious Affairs. There are 15 MTs whose costs are covered by the Pekanbaru City Government. The bottom line is that no one should be out of school,” he asserted. He added that this move is a concrete implementation of the Zero Dropout programme, which is a priority for the local government in improving human resources. The mayor hopes that through this programme, all school-age children can continue their education without financial obstacles, while also providing a solution to the annual shortage of places in state schools.