West Java Legislator Says Data Validation Key to Sekolah Maung Success

Kuningan (ANTARA) - West Java Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) member Tina Wiryawati has assessed that the validation and synchronisation of data on students from underprivileged families is a key factor in supporting the success of the Sekolah Maung Programme, including in Kuningan Regency, West Java. Tina stated in Kuningan on Tuesday that educational programmes targeting the poor require an accurate database so that benefits can be received by the entitled students. According to her, data precision will help the government run programmes more effectively while expanding educational access for vulnerable groups. She noted that attention to data quality aligns with the central government’s efforts to improve education services and equalise learning opportunities. “Data synchronisation is very important to support the directive of President Prabowo Subianto, who places great attention on school revitalisation and guaranteed educational access for the poor,” she said. Tina explained that the issue of beneficiary data remains a task that needs refinement, especially in the process of determining recipient groups based on welfare levels. Therefore, provincial and regional governments need to continue strengthening coordination in updating data on prospective beneficiaries. In addition to data improvement, she assessed that programme socialisation must be carried out from the outset so that the public understands the mechanism and objectives of the government’s policy. According to her, adequate information dissemination can increase public participation while supporting the smooth implementation of the programme on the ground. She stressed the importance of maturing the scheme and comprehensive socialisation so that programme implementation is not carried out suddenly, thereby avoiding confusion or disappointment among the public. Tina is optimistic that the Sekolah Maung Programme can provide broader benefits for students from underprivileged families if supported by valid data and well-planned execution. “We hope that various inputs from the community can serve as evaluation material to strengthen the implementation of the Sekolah Maung Programme so that the goal of equalising educational access can be achieved optimally,” she said. ANTARA’s research data notes that Sekolah Maung (Manusia Unggul) is an educational programme initiated by the West Java Provincial Government to transform senior high schools (SMA) and vocational high schools (SMK) into centres for developing high-achieving students, whether academically, non-academically, or through special high IQ pathways. There are currently 41 Sekolah Maung in West Java officially designated by the West Java Provincial Government for the 2026/2027 academic year. This number is divided into two levels of state education units, namely 28 state SMAs and 13 state SMKs. The distribution of Sekolah Maung spans various regencies and cities in West Java. For example, in the Bogor, Depok, Bekasi (Bodebek) area, there are SMAN 1 Bogor, SMAN 2 Cibinong, SMAN 1 Depok, SMAN 1 Bekasi, and SMKN 1 Cibinong. Meanwhile, other areas include SMAN 1 Purwakarta, SMAN 1 Subang, and SMAN 1 Parigi in Pangandaran. The inaugural selection process (SPMB) for these 41 schools has been completed and the results were announced on 8 June 2026, with a total capacity of 18,268 student places.