School revitalisation programme creates over 238,000 jobs: government
“In total, 238,131 workers have been involved in this program, including construction workers, engineers, project supervisors, and other support staff,” Chief of the Presidential Staff Office (KSP) Muhammad Qodari said in a press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday.
He noted that KSP data shows each school repair project employs an average of 22 local workers. These physical renovations are carried out through a self-managed scheme involving schools and parents.
According to him, this model provides a direct economic impact for residents who were previously unemployed.
He cited the example of Saiful Anam, a construction worker in Karawang, West Java, who had been unemployed for seven months before getting employed in the revitalization project at Karawang Kulon 3 State Elementary School.
Beyond construction jobs, Qodari said the program has stimulated the growth of approximately 58,000 micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) near the school sites. These businesses include local building material suppliers as well as food and beverage vendors.
He further said that the presence of the workers positively affected the incomes of small vendors supplying food daily around the construction sites. This surge in economic activity has also impacted the transportation and equipment rental sectors in these areas.
“This is proof that implementing the program through a self-managed scheme not only improves educational facilities but also creates jobs and stimulates the local economy,” he remarked.
As of March 11, 2026, the program has completed physical construction of 16,062 schools, nearly reaching its 16,167-unit target for the 2025 fiscal year. The government assured that the remaining units currently in progress will be completed soon.
The revitalization program is continued in 2026 with a target of around 71,000 schools, projected to have a bigger contribution to regional revenue.
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Translator: Aditya Ramadhan, Raka Adji