School revitalization to boost local economic growth, minister says
Under the initiative, the government seeks to revitalize 71,744 schools in 2026 using a self-management approach that involves schools and local communities.
“With the self-management system, this program runs more effectively, faster, and more cost-efficiently, while also ensuring good construction quality,” he said during a working visit to Sorong City, Southwest Papua, on Tuesday.
Mu’ti explained that the self-management scheme allows a large workforce absorption, as each school involves an average of about 10 workers in the construction process.
According to him, if the target of revitalizing 71,744 schools is achieved, the program is estimated to employ approximately 710,000 workers.
Meanwhile, in last year’s implementation, the projected number of jobs created stood at 250,000, spread across 16,167 schools.
He explained that the program boosts the local economy not only by employing local residents but also by sourcing construction materials from nearby shops.
In addition to infrastructure revitalization, the ministry is continually expanding its educational digitalization program across regions, including Papua and underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost (3T) areas.
He noted that interactive flat panels (IFPs) have now reached schools in the remote areas of Papua, with deliveries even being made by boat to access hard-to-reach sites.
During his visit, the minister inaugurated newly revitalized schools from the 2025 batch and presented revitalization assistance to schools scheduled for 2026.
For the 2025 batch, Sorong District received Rp22.67 billion (approximately US$1.27 million) in funding for 15 schools, while Sorong City received Rp4.94 billion for 12 schools.
Under the 2026 program, Sorong District has been allocated Rp16.59 billion for 34 schools, and Sorong City has been allocated Rp3.65 billion for five schools.
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Translator: Yuvensius Lasa, Raka Adji