Social Affairs Minister Gus Ipul Receives Audience with Pasuruan Regent and Pasuruan PCNU

Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf (Gus Ipul) of the Republic of Indonesia received an audience with Pasuruan Regent Rusdi Sutejo and Imron Mutamakkin, Chairman of the Pasuruan Nahdlatul Ulama Branch Board (PCNU). The meeting discussed strengthening three of the President’s priority programs: updating the National Social and Economic Single Data (DTSEN), Sekolah Rakyat, and social assistance.

To his guests, Gus Ipul outlined these three priority programs as a means to address the various social issues still occurring in society. ‘Many people are actually suffering, but we do not know because they are not in the data. There are pesantren students struggling to meet operational costs, and there are children who have never attended school,’ Gus Ipul said in a written statement on Thursday, 5 March 2026.

According to Gus Ipul, the main problem in poverty alleviation has been data. The government will struggle to reach those in need if they are not recorded in the system. ‘How can the government reach out if the data does not exist?’ he asked.

Gus Ipul explained that the government currently has a single data system, referred to as DTSEN, which underpins various assistance programs. However, the data must be updated periodically because social conditions are dynamic. ‘Our problem has been data not entering or not being updated. There used to be sectoral ego; every region had its own data,’ he said. ‘Now we are moving towards a single data system, but it must continue to be updated,’ he added.

Gus Ipul added that the public can actively participate in updating the data through various channels, both formal and non-formal, including through the Next Generation Social Welfare Information System (SIKS NG) and the Cek Bansos app.

Beyond data updating, the meeting also discussed developing Sekolah Rakyat as part of a strategy to break the poverty chain through education. He said Sekolah Rakyat is not only an educational institution but also a microcosm of poverty alleviation. ‘Sekolah Rakyat is hoped to form part of a microcosm of poverty alleviation,’ he stated.

He cited the case of a child named Naila from a decile-1 family. After seven months in Sekolah Rakyat, her family’s situation improved, and she now looks brighter. ‘Her house was repaired, her parents empowered. The child can study well and the family is gradually climbing up,’ he said.

Gus Ipul also emphasised the importance of targeted social assistance. ‘We want this assistance to be precisely targeted and to motivate beneficiaries to rise. Because social assistance is temporary,’ he said.

Pasuruan Regent Rusdi Sutejo welcomed the three priority programs, noting that Pemkab Pasuruan is strengthening social data updating so that government programs reach those truly in need. ‘To synchronise data, we have built a command centre so we know who is eligible for support and who is not or not targeted,’ he said.

The meeting was also attended by the Head of the Pasuruan Regency Health Office (Kadinkes) Arma Rosallina, Head of the Social Service P3A Ani Latifah, Secretary of Bapperida Kokok Adi Prayogo, the Regional Development Acceleration Steering Team (P3D) Rohani Siswanto, and the Chairman of the RSNU Foundation Pasuruan Farid Syauqi.