Sorong City Government Prepares Six-Hectare Site for Sekolah Rakyat Construction

Sorong (ANTARA) — The Sorong City Government in Southwest Papua has prepared a six-hectare plot of land for the construction of a Sekolah Rakyat (People’s School), as part of the central government’s priority programme for free education.

Sorong Mayor Septinus Lobat said on Monday that the land had been prepared by the local government, with physical construction targeted to commence as early as this year or by next year at the latest.

“Hopefully it will be built by next year, or at the earliest this year. We have already prepared the land,” said Mayor Septinus.

He explained that the Sekolah Rakyat is a free education programme encompassing kindergarten, primary school, junior secondary school, and senior secondary school levels within a single integrated campus.

All operational costs, including supporting facilities, will be borne by the central government, allowing students to focus solely on their studies.

According to the mayor, the presence of a Sekolah Rakyat in Sorong will help the local government expand access to free education, particularly for children in Sorong and the wider Southwest Papua region.

At present, Sorong’s fee-free education programme remains focused on state schools due to budgetary constraints, meaning private schools have not yet been fully accommodated.

Data from Sorong’s Education and Culture Agency shows that 50,369 students across 274 schools — from kindergarten through to state senior secondary and vocational schools — are currently receiving free schooling.

Regarding the construction site, the city government has prepared a six-hectare plot currently registered under the Malaseme family in Bambu Kuning, Sorong, which is undergoing a transfer of title to become a local government asset.

The local government will provide land compensation calculated at approximately Rp2.3 billion per hectare, to be paid in stages through the Regional Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBD).

The Sekolah Rakyat campus will also include supporting facilities such as places of worship, including a mosque and a church, to serve students’ needs during their education.

The mayor expressed his hope that construction of the Sekolah Rakyat would be realised promptly, reinforcing the government’s commitment to delivering free and equitable education for all children in the region.