Semarang's SDN Purwoyoso 01 Admits Only Three New Pupils Amid Urban Demographic Shift

A total of 22 state primary schools (SD Negeri) in Semarang, Central Java, are facing a shortage of pupils. Data from the 2026/2027 New Student Admissions System (SPMB) shows that 1,646 seats in state primary schools remain vacant. During monitoring by Media Indonesia on Wednesday (15/7), as several schools in Semarang conducted their School Environment Introduction Period (MPLS) activities, SD Negeri Purwoyoso 01 in Ngaliyan District received only three new pupils. Despite only three new pupils registering, the MPLS programme at the beginning of the year still proceeded as normal. ‘There were five online registrations, but after re-registration only three new pupils remained,’ said SDN Purwoyoso 01 Semarang Headteacher Hajar Riatiani. The Semarang city government, through its Education Department, has no immediate plans to merge several schools. Semarang Mayor Agustina Wilujeng Pramestuti said the shortage of new pupils across 22 state primary schools is because the state schools lag behind private schools in terms of facilities. ‘State primary schools are less sophisticated than private schools, so many parents choose to send their children to private schools,’ said Agustina Wilujeng Pramestuti. She also noted that some state primary schools are located in areas dominated by shops and offices, leading to a continuous decline in the number of school-age children in the vicinity. The mayor also highlighted a shift of young families to the outskirts of Semarang, which affects the number of prospective pupils in city centre schools. Responding to the situation, Agustina Wilujeng Pramestuti revealed that the Semarang Education Department will not yet take school mergers as a primary solution. She said an evaluation of schools with low enrolment will be conducted first. The Semarang city government will prepare improvements to learning facilities, such as replacing school furniture, strengthening internet networks, and accelerating the digitalisation of learning to make the quality of state primary schools more competitive. ‘Teacher competence will also be continuously improved through various training programmes so that the quality of learning gets better,’ she added.