Potential Maladministration in Procurement of People's School Shoes
Deputy Minister of Social Affairs Agus Jabo stated that there is potential maladministration in the procurement process for shoes for students and teachers in the implementation of the People’s School programme. This suspicion, he said, was obtained after a special team delved into the procurement process for People’s School attributes through documents and procurement mechanisms.
The special team is led by Agus Jabo. He is accompanied by the Inspector General of the Ministry of Social Affairs to evaluate and investigate the shoe procurement process for People’s School.
“Based on the clarification results, it is known that there is a large procurement volume, time limitations, and limited human resources, thus there is potential for maladministration,” said Agus Jabo at the Ministry of Social Affairs office in Jakarta on Wednesday, 13 May 2026.
He stated that a comprehensive deepening will be carried out to ensure whether there are any errors in the People’s School shoe procurement process. This includes certainty on whether there is a discrepancy between the planning in the procurement budget allocation and its realisation.
“If problems are later found as suspected, the relevant parties will be held accountable according to applicable provisions,” said Agus Jabo.
He said that the officials making commitments (PPK) responsible for handling the People’s School shoe procurement are also potentially subject to disciplinary sanctions if process violations are found. It does not rule out the possibility that the People’s School shoe procurement issue will be processed by law enforcement apparatus.
“If aspects of legal violations are found, the handling will be handed over to law enforcement apparatus according to their authority,” said Agus Jabo.
According to him, the issue of purchasing People’s School shoes is a full concern of the ministry to create good procurement governance. The Ministry of Social Affairs, he said, will carry out procurement processes more carefully, accountably, transparently, and professionally.
Recently, the procurement of People’s School shoes has come under scrutiny due to allegations of price inflation. The realisation of shoe procurement for students and teachers in People’s School is valued at Rp 28 billion. Various other goods and services procurements for the People’s School have also been revealed.
For example, the procurement of frames for photos of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka to be displayed in People’s School classrooms, valued at Rp 4 billion. There is also the procurement of cookers and washing machines with a total contract realisation value of Rp 7 billion.
In response to a series of People’s School procurements, Social Minister Saifullah Yusuf decided to temporarily relieve two head officials under the General Bureau of the Secretariat General. “First, the Head of the Goods and Services Procurement Services Section. Second, the Head of the Equipment and State Property Sub-section,” said Saifullah at his office on Wednesday, 13 May 2026.
Gus Ipul, his nickname, said that the two officials in the General Bureau are responsible for the ministry’s goods and services procurement services. Those officials were appointed as Commitment Making Officials or PPK for the Ministry of Social Affairs’ goods and services procurement.
The temporary deactivation of these two officials, he said, was taken for the smoothness of the evaluation and investigation process regarding the budget use poured into the People’s School programme. “For the smoothness of the subsequent procurement process,” he explained the reason for relieving those serving as PPK in goods and services procurement.
Gus Ipul also ordered the Secretary General of the Ministry of Social Affairs, Robben Rico, to immediately rationalise this year’s procurement budget. This includes strengthening the capacity of the goods and services procurement team and directly overseeing the implementation of those procurement policies.
The Secretary General of the Ministry of Social Affairs, Robben Rico, denied that the temporary deactivation of the two officials was an attempt to find scapegoats. According to him, both were temporarily relieved so they could focus on resolving the issues regarding People’s School goods procurement.
He said that the presumption of innocence principle is prioritised in following up on potential violations in goods and services procurement policies in the ministry. “So we actually feel sorry for them; it’s better if (both) concentrate on fixing the current problems,” he said on Wednesday, 13 May 2026.