Social Affairs Minister Plans to Meet KPK for Input on People's School Procurement

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf plans to hold an audience with the leadership of the Corruption Eradication Commission to obtain input regarding the procurement of goods for the People’s School.

Speaking after a press conference at the Government Communication Agency office in Jakarta on Wednesday, Saifullah Yusuf outlined his plan to meet with KPK leaders on Thursday (7/5).

“I am the one requesting the time because, so to speak, in my view, there is input that is worth listening to from the KPK,” he said.

The minister explained that the meeting with the KPK will present all data and processes related to the procurement of goods for the operational needs of the People’s School, including the procurement of shoes for People’s School students, which has recently been a topic of discussion on social media.

“So, the KPK’s opinion is something we listen to carefully, and we will follow it up to gain more understanding,” he stated.

Advice and suggestions from the KPK are needed to ensure a better procurement process.

Regarding the ongoing process, the minister assured that the procurement for the People’s School is proceeding transparently and in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

The setting of goods prices is done through market surveys and prior consultations.

Based on the realisation data presented by the minister on Tuesday (5/5), the budget for student PDL shoes is Rp700,000, with the actual tender price at Rp640,000.

Meanwhile, for daily shoes for junior and senior high school levels, the realised price is Rp300,000 from a budget of Rp500,000, and for primary school level, it is Rp250,000.

Previously, there had been circulation on social media about the procurement of shoes for People’s School students with original prices below the Rp700,000 budget set by the Ministry of Social Affairs.

The minister stated that the photo in question shows himself and East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa distributing shoes to People’s School students from the East Java Provincial Government programme.

He assured that those shoes did not come from procurement carried out by the Ministry of Social Affairs.