Revitalisation involving communities accelerates school changes in Gorontalo

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) states that involving communities in the educational unit revitalisation programme accelerates school changes in Gorontalo province. In that province, the educational unit revitalisation programme not only provides more comfortable and pleasant school buildings but also mobilises community participation and the local economy. Deputy Minister of Basic and Secondary Education (Wamendikdasmen) Atip Latipulhayat, in a written statement in Jakarta on Wednesday, inaugurated the revitalisation of 30 educational units across various levels, from primary to secondary schools in the province. He emphasised that school revitalisation is the government’s quick step in addressing the classic issues in the education world, namely inadequate facilities and infrastructure. “Many schools have conditions that have not been touched by repairs for a long time. Faded paint, leaking roofs, smelly toilets, to unworthy classrooms. This is what we are changing gradually and massively,” he said. The programme, according to Atip, is part of the national priority carried by President Prabowo Subianto through the human resource development agenda. His side views that the quality of education cannot be separated from the safe and comfortable physical condition of the school. On that occasion, Atip also conveyed that the difference in the programme is not only in its scale, but in the implementation approach. Through a self-managed scheme, he continued, schools are given a direct role in managing the revitalisation process. He added that the school principal becomes the person in charge, while the surrounding community is involved in procurement of materials to execution. This approach, he said, is considered not only to accelerate construction but also to foster a sense of ownership. “When schools and communities are directly involved, there is joint responsibility to maintain the results,” said Atip. In Gorontalo province, revitalisation also targets areas categorised as underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost (3T), as well as regions needing quick handling, so the government targets thousands of educational units to be repaired by 2026, with additional support continuously pursued. Atip added that the government also opens space for public participation by encouraging the community to report conditions of damaged schools or those not yet touched by the programme, even contributing to fulfilling additional facilities.