UPI and Ministry of Social Affairs Explore Collaboration to Develop People's Schools

Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia is exploring cooperation with the Ministry of Social Affairs in developing the Sekolah Rakyat programme as an effort to expand educational access in Indonesia. Vice Rector for Research, Community Service, and Partnerships at UPI, Agus Setiabudi, stated that this meeting presents an opportunity for UPI to contribute to addressing real issues in education, particularly the high number of children not attending school. “This can be described as a timely opportunity. We are indeed seeking various real problems in the world of education,” said Agus in Bandung on Tuesday. He explained that UPI’s contributions will be focused on aspects of curriculum development, enhancing teacher capacity, and the concept of organising Sekolah Rakyat. According to him, UPI does not set targets for the number of students, but will support the targets set by the Ministry of Social Affairs through strengthening academic aspects and the education system. “Next, they will assess the capacity of our students. If there is potential, in the future they could be recruited as staff. In addition, in the near future, guidance will also be provided for teachers as well as curriculum arrangement for the school,” he said. UPI has expressed readiness to contribute further through the preparation of a memorandum of understanding, development of pilot projects, and the creation of a roadmap for education up to the stage of graduate independence. “In essence, UPI is ready. This is precisely what we are looking for, namely real needs in the field. Fortunately, those needs come directly from the Ministry of Social Affairs, so we just need to channel the capacity we have,” he said. Agus hopes that Sekolah Rakyat can reach those groups through a dormitory-based education approach that emphasises character formation and improvement of human resource quality.