Public Works Minister Reveals Reasons for Slow Progress in Sekolah Rakyat Construction

Public Works Minister (PU), Dody Hanggodo, said he is disappointed with the performance of several parties within his ministry related to the Sekolah Rakyat project. He even described the project as having moved into something like a ‘half-stalled’ status due to work that he deems inappropriate in the early stages of implementation.

As of 20 May 2026, the realisation of Sekolah Rakyat construction had reached only around 58-59 percent. Dody also found that there were construction contracts whose completion periods would actually extend beyond the operational target of Sekolah Rakyat.

In fact, President Prabowo Subianto wants the school buildings ready for use in June 2026 so that students can commence classes at the new academic year in July.

“The President has said several times that the Sekolah Rakyat buildings must be ready for the new academic year—which is July 2026. That means the buildings must be ready in June 2026. But some of the construction contracts are due to finish in July. Some even finish in October,” he said during a media briefing at the Public Works Ministry office in Jakarta, on Friday (22 May 2026).

According to him, the various obstacles that have arisen were actually anticipated from the start. He claimed to have given several directives and solutions so that potential technical problems could be addressed promptly, but the instructions were not implemented optimally, causing delays in resolving issues.

“Unfortunately, my colleagues at the Public Works Ministry have different thoughts because they are still trying to carry out tasks that are not appropriate at the early stages of Sekolah Rakyat construction, so I would say the project is half-stalled,” he said.

He regards this as one of the reasons why the Sekolah Rakyat construction progress lagged behind the target.

Dody believes that several technical issues should have been resolved by January–February 2026. However, slow handling meant the construction process was delayed, so progress did not proceed according to the target.

He said he was quite surprised by the slow progress given that the project is being handled by professionals at the Directorate General for Strategic Infrastructure. As a consequence of this condition, Dody said he has dismissed several people from their positions.

“It must be admitted that the construction is somewhat beyond my forecast, because with the professional makeup at the Directorate General for Strategic Infrastructure, delays like this should not happen. But what’s done is done. As a result, some people must be dismissed,” he said.

Nevertheless, Dody remains optimistic that the majority of projects can be completed according to target. Of the total 93 Sekolah Rakyat under construction, he believes 88 schools can be completed by June 2026 so they are ready for use in the upcoming academic year.