Students from SMK 19 Jakarta Enthusiastic on First Visit to the Presidential Palace
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Students from SMKN 19 Jakarta were enthusiastic during their visit to the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday, which was their first experience setting foot in the area.
One student from class 11, Muhammad Suganda, expressed being impressed by the atmosphere inside the palace grounds, which he had previously only seen from the outside. According to him, the appearance of the buildings inside was no less appealing than from the exterior.
“My impression and message from today’s visit, honestly, this is the first time I have set foot in this area, yes, the White House area, where honestly from the beginning it looked cool from the outside, and it turns out it’s really cool from the inside too,” said Suganda.
He explained that during the visit, the students followed a presentation of material in the hall, took group photos, and toured the palace grounds to learn about the history and buildings present.
Suganda stated that the series of activities provided a new experience, including the opportunity to understand the presidential palace environment more closely.
“There was a presentation as I mentioned earlier, about bureaucracy on why it’s important for the young generation. So they can communicate, voice what they want to aspire, their problems about anything,” he said.
Additionally, the students participated in a question-and-answer session discussing how to convey aspirations to the government, including challenges faced in channelling those aspirations.
“For the question-and-answer, there was some discussion from my friends about why some aspirations are not adequately conveyed to the government,” he said.
Meanwhile, teacher from SMKN 19 Jakarta, Christine Rambing, stated that the students and teachers were pleased with the opportunity to join the visit programme.
She said the visit was unexpected beforehand and became a new experience because the group could see the rooms inside the palace directly.
During the event, the students also received material related to government bureaucracy and a screening on public policy.
“We were taken on a room tour to see the state of the State Palace environment, which we had never entered before. Finally, we got inside, room by room, and we received education, and earlier there was a screening related to public policy provided by Mr Prabowo,” she said.
The participation of SMKN 19 Jakarta in the visit stemmed from information received by the school. It was then followed up with an application to be included in the activity.
“We received information first, then we wrote a letter, requesting to be included,” she said.
It is known that the Presidential Palace has been opened for schoolchildren visits on the instruction of President Prabowo Subianto to introduce the government environment to the younger generation.
Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya stated that opening the Presidential Palace is part of President Prabowo’s desire to provide direct experience to students regarding the nation’s history and government processes.
“Today, Tuesday, 7 April 2026, on the instruction and desire of Mr President Prabowo, we open the palace for schoolchildren. So, colleagues should know together, one of Mr President’s biggest programmes is investing in building and shaping the young generation,” said Teddy at the Presidential Palace Complex, Jakarta, on Tuesday.
The instruction was implemented on Tuesday, marked by the visit of students from State Vocational High School (SMKN) 19 Central Jakarta.