Social Affairs Ministry: Many Parties Help Provide Scholarships for Sekolah Rakyat Students

Malang, East Java (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Social Affairs (Kemensos) has stated that many parties are working together to provide scholarships for Sekolah Rakyat high school students so they can continue their education to university. Secretary General of the Ministry of Social Affairs, Robben Rico, after attending the AITF 2026 Demo Day & Graduation at the Algoritma Auditorium of Universitas Brawijaya (UB) Malang, East Java, on Tuesday, said the success of the Sekolah Rakyat programme is a shared responsibility that prioritises collaboration. “Today we have secured 3,600 scholarships for the first batch of nearly 7,000 high school students, from universities, ministries, and various other sources,” Robben said. The Ministry of Social Affairs continues to strengthen cross-sector communication so that the scholarship quota can continue to increase. Robben stated that students who graduate from Sekolah Rakyat at the high school level and choose not to continue to higher education will be enrolled in certification programmes. “So they can get jobs,” he said. He noted that children currently studying at Sekolah Rakyat are showing improved character development. Their lifestyles have also become more disciplined compared to when they first entered the educational facility. In fact, they often show concern for their social environment. According to him, what has grown and become visible in Sekolah Rakyat must be maintained, so that every graduate becomes a driver of the Indonesian nation’s progress in the future. “What this means is that what the President hopes for, achieving a Golden Indonesia 2045, can be reached by joining hands together,” he said. Robben added that at Sekolah Rakyat, the government has consistently guaranteed and fulfilled the nutritional and health needs of all students. “So, over the past year, this has been able to deliver a positive impact to the children,” he said. He stated that the government continues to strive to provide representative educational facilities and infrastructure to support teaching and learning activities. “Today there has been progress, 93 permanent Sekolah Rakyat buildings have been built, and God willing, they will be completed and the children can enter on 14 July at the start of the new 2026/2027 academic year. Later, the total target is 200 permanent buildings by next year,” he said.