Permanent Sekolah Rakyat in Banjarbaru to Commence Operations on 15 August
The Ministry of Social Affairs has scheduled the permanent Sekolah Rakyat (SR) in Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan, to begin operations on 15 August 2026, after a number of supporting facilities are prepared for the implementation of the School Environment Introduction Period (MPLS) for students at all levels.
Radna Dwi Sartika, Head of the Budi Luhur Centre in Banjarbaru under the Ministry of Social Affairs and the person in charge of SR Banjarbaru, said that the operation of the permanent SR Banjarbaru will make use of facilities that are already ready for use, while the completion of construction on several parts of the school complex is still ongoing.
“The permanent SR in Banjarbaru is currently in progress. We are preparing functional infrastructure for the implementation of MPLS,” she said in Banjarbaru on Wednesday.
She said that MPLS for primary school, lower secondary school and upper secondary school students will be held in the primary school building complex because those facilities are currently the most ready for use compared with buildings for other levels.
“The primary school complex has adequate classroom capacity to accommodate MPLS activities for all levels because each unit has 14 classrooms that can be used during the school environment introduction period,” she said.
Radna explained that the schedule of 15 August 2026 is an adjustment after the previous plans of 14 July and 31 July could not be carried out because conditions on the ground were still not conducive to student activities.
She said the schedule adjustment took into account the safety of students because the school area still has construction activity in the form of project dust and the movement of heavy equipment.
In addition, the presence of forest and land fires around the permanent SR Banjarbaru site is also a concern because smoke and dust from the firefighting efforts are considered not yet conducive to a student learning environment.
Radna stressed that dormitory readiness is one of the priorities before students occupy the permanent SR. Physically, the dormitory building is almost complete, but a number of supporting facilities are still being refined.
These refinements include the installation of window grilles as part of strengthening student safety, as well as the installation of mosquito screens to support the health of students during their boarding education.
“After two weeks of MPLS, learning activities at the permanent SR Banjarbaru will continue with a matriculation period as a stage for students to adjust to the education system at the school,” Radna said.