Sampang Facilitates State School Entry for Students Not Admitted to 'Sekolah Rakyat'

The Sampang Regency administration in East Java is facilitating prospective students who were not accommodated in the Sekolah Rakyat (SR) programme due to full quotas to enrol in several state schools in the region. This decision follows a cross-sectoral coordination meeting held today regarding the determination of SR student quotas for the 2026-2027 academic year, according to Sampang Regional Secretary Yuliadi Setiawan. He explained that the unaccommodated students are at the junior high school (SMP) and senior high school (SMA) levels. The established SR quota was 90 students for SMP and 90 for SMA, while registrations reached 199 for SMP and 127 for SMA. Consequently, 109 junior high and 37 senior high school candidates were not accommodated at SR Sampang. The Sampang administration has therefore committed to facilitating these students so they can continue their education at state schools. ‘We have asked the Education Office, the Ministry of Religious Affairs, and the Branch Education Office to help students not accepted at SR to still attend school, even though the New Student Admission process has concluded. We will also write to the Ministry of Social Affairs for an affirmative policy for these children, including easier access to state schools and registration fee support,’ he said. However, of the total quota of 270 students, only 213 can be confirmed to participate in teaching and learning activities, as the primary school (SD) quota was only filled by 33 students. ‘While the SMP and SMA levels exceeded the quota, the SD level actually fell short of the set quota,’ he noted. Sekolah Rakyat is a government programme providing free, formal boarding education to children from underprivileged or extremely poor families. The programme aims to break the poverty cycle and ensure every child has equal opportunities to learn and succeed, with all costs for schooling, boarding, meals, and learning materials fully covered by the government as part of an integrated poverty alleviation effort.