Starting July 2025, Banyuwangi People's School Receives 100 Students From Poor Families

BANYUWANGI - The People's School Program in Banyuwangi Regency, East Java, is scheduled to start in July 2025 and for the initial stage there are already 100 junior high and high school students with four study groups (rombel).

Banyuwangi Regent Ipuk Fiestiandan said that until now the local government has continued to finalize preparations for the opening of the dormitory-based free education program for children from the poor family initiated by President Prabowo Subianto.

"This People's School is a free education program initiated by President Prabowo Subianto and this program is in the form of a boarding school with all the costs of education fully borne by the government," he said.

According to Ipuk, prospective People's School students are prioritized for school-age children from poor families in the initial two desiles in the Ministry of Social and National Economic Integrated Data (DTSEN).

"For the initial stage, the People's School consists of 2 groups studying grade 1 junior high school and 2 groups studying grade 1 high school, each study group will be filled with 25 students so that a total of 100 students," said Ipuk.

Head of the Banyuwangi Regency Social Service for Women and Family Empowerment (Dinsos PPKB) Henik Setyorini added that prospective students were obtained from the proposal of a companion to the Family Hope Program (PKH), villages, and sub-districts.

"Later on, prospective participants will be selected through various stages, starting from administrative selection to ensure that they are included in the DESile 1 and 2 DTSEN, then followed by academic potential tests, psychological tests, house visits, and interviews with parents as well as health checks," he said.

Henik added that currently PKH officers are also diligent in going to the field to pick up the ball to recruit prospective students based on a prelist from the Ministry of Social Affairs.

"The poor children who are currently in grade 6 elementary school and grade 9 junior high school will be visited and offered to continue their education at the People's School in the new academic year 2025/2026," he said.

Information obtained by ANTARA, the People's School learning process in Banyuwangi will be carried out at the Civil Servant Education and Training Building in Licin District.