Wamensos: Acceleration of Sekolah Rakyat Programme Must Comply with Regulations
Deputy Minister of Social Affairs (Wamensos) Agus Jabo Priyono has affirmed that the accelerated implementation of the Sekolah Rakyat programme to alleviate poverty must proceed in accordance with prevailing rules and budgeting mechanisms.
In a statement in Jakarta on Friday, Wamensos Agus reminded that although the President has called for swift action to open up access to education for children from poor families, every stage of the programme’s governance must remain fully accountable.
“The President does want things done quickly, because there are still around 4 million children who are not in school. But the stages must still follow the Ministry of Social Affairs’ mechanisms so that the budgeting can be accounted for,” said Wamensos Agus.
Compliance with regulations, he said, is implemented in part through the orderly completion of administration and land certification for the construction of permanent Sekolah Rakyat facilities in the regions.
“For land, the certificate must be brought. If the certificate is not brought, the school matter cannot be processed. This week I am asking them to prove it. I hope Singkil will have a permanent Sekolah Rakyat. If possible, this year,” said Wamensos Agus.
On the other hand, several regions have reported positive progress on target, such as the Subulussalam City Government in Aceh Province, which recorded that the physical construction of Sekolah Rakyat in its area has entered the final stage at 74 per cent and is targeted for completion on 14 July.
During an audience meeting at the Ministry of Social Affairs (Kemensos) office in Jakarta on Thursday (9/7), besides educational matters, Wamensos Agus also received a report from the Indragiri Hulu Regency Government regarding challenges in providing social service infrastructure for people with severe mental disorders (ODGJ) and children in conflict with the law (ABH).
The Indragiri Hulu Social Affairs Office also presented efforts to strengthen poverty data regulation through an update of the National Socio-Economic Single Data (DTSEN), with a field verification target of 100 per cent by December 2026.
DTSEN serves as the reference for distributing government social assistance, including the Sekolah Rakyat programme, the Socio-Economic Empowerment Programme (PPSE), the Free Nutritious Meals programme (MBG), and the Red and White Village/Neighbourhood Cooperatives.
“Indragiri Hulu is targeting data updates covering 50 per cent of the population by September and 100 per cent by December 2026,” said Head of the Indragiri Hulu Social Affairs Office, Rika Varia Nora.