South Tangerang City Government Boosts School Participation Rates Through Early Childhood Education Strengthening

The South Tangerang City Government is continuing to strengthen early childhood education (PAUD) facilities and infrastructure in an effort to boost the school participation rate at the PAUD level. This measure is part of the city government’s support for the 13-year compulsory education programme while improving the quality of educational services from an early age. The programme to improve PAUD facilities and infrastructure is one of the priority programmes outlined in the South Tangerang City Regional Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMD) for 2025-2029. South Tangerang Mayor Benyamin Davnie stated that human resource development must begin at an early age through the provision of quality educational services supported by adequate facilities. According to him, the regional government continues to strive to ensure that every child in South Tangerang City has an equal opportunity to receive a proper education as a foundation for the future. ‘Education is a long-term investment. Therefore, we must ensure children receive good educational services from an early age so they grow into intelligent, character-driven, and competitive generations,’ Benyamin said in a written statement on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Head of the PAUD and Non-formal Education Division at the South Tangerang Education and Culture Office, Rizkia Fitria, said the programme targets reaching 115 PAUD education units in 2026. ‘Of the total target of 115 education units, in the 2026 Pure Regional Budget we have allocated assistance for 72 institutions. The rest will be continued through the revised budget,’ Rizkia said. According to Rizkia, the recipient institutions are determined based on monitoring and evaluation results conducted by formal PAUD supervisors and non-formal education inspectors. This process ensures that assistance is given to institutions that genuinely need it and meet the established criteria. The assistance provided includes various learning support facilities, such as children’s tables and chairs, bag storage lockers, whiteboards, and educational teaching aids that support the teaching and learning process in PAUD. ‘There are tables, chairs for children, bag storage lockers, whiteboards, educational teaching aids, and other necessities. Supervisors and inspectors ensure that every institution receiving assistance truly meets the criteria and requires learning facility support,’ she explained. The South Tangerang City Government has allocated a budget of approximately Rp4 billion to support the PAUD facilities and infrastructure improvement programme in 2026. With better learning facilities, it is hoped that more children will participate in early childhood education as part of the 13-year compulsory education programme. ‘With improved facilities and infrastructure, we hope the school participation rate at the PAUD level continues to increase. Currently, the rate has reached around 90 percent, but we want to continue improving it until it is fully optimal,’ she concluded.