Prabowo Gives Attention to the Case of a Primary School Child Ending His Life in NTT

President Prabowo Subianto has given special attention to the case of children from poor families in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) who allegedly did not receive access to social assistance until it led to a tragedy. The government also asked village officials to be more active in detecting and reporting vulnerable citizens so that similar incidents do not recur.

The Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said the President emphasized the importance of the presence of the state at the lowest level, especially for poor communities and children who have not been touched by assistance programs.

According to him, village heads and regional officials must be proactive in monitoring the conditions of their citizens, including ensuring that anyone who has not been recorded as a beneficiary of government social programs.

"Village heads or village heads must continue to monitor and immediately report if there are citizens who have not entered or have not been recorded as beneficiaries of government programs," said Prasetyo at the Presidential Palace Complex, Wednesday, February 4.

He explained that the directive was a direct response to the worrying incident in Ngada Regency, NTT, where a primary school student allegedly ended his life due to difficulties in buying school supplies.

The President, he said, did not want any more poor children or families who were missed from the country's social safety net.

"We ensure that even if they cannot be empowered independently, the presence or intervention of the government must really touch the lowest layer, so that incidents like this do not happen again," he said.

The incident in NTT is now being thoroughly evaluated by the government, ranging from the accuracy of data collection on poor people, reporting mechanisms at the village level, to the social concerns of local officials.

"This is our joint evaluation, both in terms of data collection, reporting, and social sensitivity. The state must be present faster," concluded Prasetyo.