Jakarta (ANTARA) - The government confirmed that Sekolah Rakyat (People's School) for decile 1 and decile 2 low-income communities will begin operating in July 2025, aligning with the start of the academic year.
"In July, the 63 (locations) and 37 (additional locations) are expected to start operating at the start of the school year. The students are being admitted by the Social Affairs Ministry," Secretary of the Directorate General of Strategic Infrastructure of the Ministry of Public Works, Essy Asiah, remarked on Friday (July 4).
The decile 1 group consists of households within the lowest 10 percent of national welfare levels, while decile 2 includes households ranked in the 11-20 percent lowest bracket.
Asiah stated that construction for the schools is progressing in stages. The first phase focuses on renovating existing buildings as a transitional measure before permanent construction begins in the second phase.
She explained that the initial renovation phase, known as phase 1A, uses building centers owned by the Ministry of Social Affairs, regional or provincial governments, and universities.
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Initially, the plan was to use 45 buildings owned by the Social Affairs Ministry, but this was later increased to 65 units. Of these 65, two locations—one in Papua Highland and Katingan 7 Junior High School in Central Kalimantan—were canceled due to accessibility issues and the continued use of the buildings, Asiah remarked.
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The contract for phase 1A began on May 10 and will last for 60 days, with completion targeted for July 8. To meet the target of 100 locations as initially requested for 10 thousand students, 37 new sites were added under phase 1B. The contract for these locations began on Friday and is expected to be completed by the end of July, coinciding with the planned launch of Sekolah Rakyat.
The government is preparing to launch the Sekolah Rakyat program, a boarding school initiative directly started by President Prabowo Subianto.
This program is designed to support children from poor and extremely poor families, with the primary aim of breaking the cycle of poverty and providing a brighter future for underprivileged youth.
