Prabowo: Our People's Schools are Established to Assist the Most Vulnerable
President Prabowo Subianto inspected the Sekolah Rakyat Menengah Pertama (SRMP) 17 Tabanan in Bali on Sunday, 7 June 2026. During the visit, the Head of State instructed the Minister of Social Affairs, Saifullah Yusuf, also known as Gus Ipul, to increase the number of people’s schools within Bali Province.
Prabowo noted the high demand from the Balinese community to enrol children at SRMP 17 Tabanan, where 400 parents have applied for only 270 available seats. According to reports from Gus Ipul, SRMP 17 Tabanan is currently the only newly constructed people’s school in the province. The Ministry of Social Affairs plans for every regency and city to have at least one such school.
“This is the first one. Okay, so we must add more as quickly as possible,” said Prabowo.
The President requested all regents and mayors in Bali to coordinate with the Ministry of Social Affairs regarding the establishment of these schools. He stated that the central government would provide land if local governments are unable to do so.
“We will strive for it, but how we achieve it requires your creativity; we must ensure everyone who requests it is accommodated,” he said.
Furthermore, Prabowo instructed the Cabinet Secretary, Teddy Indra Wijaya, to coordinate and identify underutilised land owned by ministries and agencies to be used for the construction of temporary school buildings.
“The Cabinet Secretary may coordinate with other ministries and agencies. Look for their facilities that are perhaps underutilised; they might be lent to us until permanent schools are completed,” he added.
During the occasion, Prabowo stated that these people’s schools are a government effort to assist the poorest and most vulnerable members of society in achieving a decent and prosperous life. He emphasised that education is a vital sector for improving public welfare.
“Indeed, these people’s schools are realised to help those who are most struggling—those who are most disadvantaged,” he concluded.