Social Minister Calls on Nahdlatul Ulama Universities to Engage in Peoples School Programme
Social Minister Saifullah Yusuf, known as Gus Ipul, has called upon higher education institutions within the Nahdlatul Ulama network to play an active role in developing the Peoples School programme. He made this appeal while addressing the LPTNU 2026 Awards ceremony organised by the Nahdlatul Ulama Higher Education Institute (LPTNU) at Nahdlatul Ulama University Surabaya (UNUSA) on Tuesday, 10 March 2026.
The event served as an appreciation platform for academics, institutions, educators, and high-achieving students within the NU higher education network.
In his address, Gus Ipul noted that President Prabowo Subianto regularly emphasises ensuring that every government policy prioritises segments of society that often escape attention from existing systems—what he termed “invisible people.”
“We may pass them daily, but we do not truly see their circumstances. Not because they do not exist, but because we often do not know or realise that they are facing severe difficulties,” Gus Ipul said.
According to him, this segment exists not only in villages but also in major cities. They are individuals whose presence often goes unnoticed by the system, yet they require collective attention.
Many from this group come from pre-prosperous families experiencing intergenerational transmission of poverty. As such, Gus Ipul emphasised the critical importance of accurate data.
“Each ministry, agency, and even local government has had its own separate data. This resulted in sectoral ego-driven silos,” he noted.
The government subsequently unified various datasets through Presidential Instruction Number 4 into a single integrated system called the National Single Socio-Economic Data (DTSEN). Over the past year, the Social Ministry, working with the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), other ministries and agencies, and regional governments, has consolidated data to ensure all programmes use the same reference data.
According to Gus Ipul, the unified data system will facilitate the division of roles between the central government, regional governments, and communities in implementing poverty alleviation programmes.
One implementation of the single data system is the Peoples School programme, which represents the government’s effort to fulfil legal mandates to care for the poor in a more targeted and sustainable manner.
Going forward, the government also welcomes participation from various stakeholders, including the private sector and higher education institutions, in programme development.
“The ultimate goal is for children from poor families to develop into agents of change, rather than becoming trapped in the same cycle of poverty,” Gus Ipul said.
At the LPTNU 2026 Awards ceremony, accolades were presented across three sessions in multiple categories, including influential Muslim scholars, lifetime service awards, academics with influential scientific work in general and religious knowledge, academics with community service contributions, outstanding research institutions, staff with educational achievements, high-achieving students, and NU University Ambassadors.
The event also featured remarks from the Rector of Nahdlatul Ulama University Surabaya, Prof. Dr. Tri Yogi Yuwono, and LPTNU Chairman Prof. Dr. Ainun Na’im. Former Education Minister Mohammad Nuh was also present to receive a lifetime achievement award.