Social Minister affirms Sekolah Rakyat programme targets poor families

Majalengka (ANTARA) - Indonesia’s Social Minister (Mensos) Saifullah Yusuf has affirmed that the Sekolah Rakyat programme, including in Majalengka, West Java, is focused on targeting the most impoverished families as part of integrated poverty alleviation efforts.

“This programme is for the most disadvantaged families, and we ensure that those who can attend school here are truly in need,” said the Mensos when met after an event at the Gelanggang Generasi Muda (GGM) in Majalengka on Friday.

He stated that the programme is a follow-up to the strategic policy of President Prabowo Subianto, which integrates educational access with family economic empowerment.

“In addition to the children being able to attend school, the parents are also empowered and intervened with other strategic programmes,” he said.

According to him, Sekolah Rakyat not only provides educational services for children but also delivers social interventions to parents.

These interventions include improving uninhabitable housing, providing Premium Assistance Recipients (PBI) for the National Health Insurance (JKN), and skills training.

With this approach, said the Mensos, the government targets beneficiary families (KPM) to become more independent and experience an improvement in their standard of living.

Furthermore, he mentioned that nationally, the number of Sekolah Rakyat students this year reaches nearly 16,000 students.

“In 2026, we are allocating more than 30,000 additional slots, so by the end of this year, there will be more than 45,000 Sekolah Rakyat students,” he said.

Next, the Mensos stated that in 2027, the number of programme recipients is targeted to increase to around 100,000 students across Indonesia.

In Majalengka Regency, he continued, the programme has already begun through a pilot Sekolah Rakyat using temporary buildings.

“Since the land is already cleared, this year, God willing, a permanent building will be constructed with a capacity of 1,000 students,” he said.

He also invited the public to participate in monitoring the selection process to ensure the Sekolah Rakyat programme reaches the right targets for the most disadvantaged families.

“I want everyone to help monitor because the selection process starts this year, and we ensure that those accepted are the most disadvantaged,” said the Mensos.