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

As many as 22 state primary schools (SD Negeri) in Semarang City, Central Java, are short of pupils. According to data from the New Pupil Admissions System (SPMB) for the 2026/2027 academic year, 1,646 places at state primary schools remain unfilled. Media Indonesia monitoring on Wednesday (15 July), when a number of schools in Semarang City held their School Environment Introduction Programme (MPLS), found that SD Negeri Purwoyoso 01 in Ngaliyan district received only three new pupils.

Despite only three new pupils registering, the school’s MPLS programme at the start of the year proceeded as usual.

“There were five registrations online, but after re-registration only three new pupils remained,” said Hajar Riatiani, headteacher of SDN Purwoyoso 01 in Semarang.

The Semarang city administration, through the Semarang City Education Office, has no plans to merge a number of schools.

Mayor of Semarang Agustina Wilujeng Pramestuti said the shortage of new pupils at 22 state primary schools in Semarang City was because these schools lag behind private schools in terms of facilities.

“State primary schools are outmatched by private schools in modernity, so many parents send their children to private schools,” she said.

In addition, according to Agustina, several state primary schools are located in areas dominated by shops and offices. This has caused the number of school-age children in the surrounding neighbourhoods to continue to decline.

She also highlighted the shift of young families’ residences to the outskirts of Semarang City, which has affected the number of prospective pupils at schools in the city centre.

In response to this situation, Agustina Wilujeng Pramestuti revealed that the Semarang City Education Office will not yet take school mergers as the main solution. She will first carry out an evaluation of schools with low enrolment.

The Semarang city government, she said, will prepare improvements to learning facilities such as replacing school furniture, strengthening internet networks, and accelerating the digitalisation of learning so that the quality of state primary schools becomes more competitive.

“Teacher competence will also be continuously improved through various training programmes so that the quality of learning gets better,” she added.