1,618 Elderly Graduation, Pramono: The Spirit Is Extraordinary

DKI Governor Pramono Anung. (Diah-VOI)

JAKARTA - The Governor of DKI Jakarta, Pramono Anung, attended the Senior School Smart Senior Graduate (SPP) at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII), East Jakarta.

This event recorded the record with the highest number of graduates, namely 1,618 elderly people who had studied non-formal for ten months.

In his remarks, Pramono praised the enthusiasm of the elderly who were still thirsty for knowledge even though they were old. He alluded to one of the 87-year-old participants who is still actively in school.

"For me, their willingness to go to school in the elderly is an extraordinary thing. What I was surprised about, frankly, my friends when I greeted them one by one, the spirit was extraordinary," said Pramono, Thursday, September 18.

Currently, there are 10 Elderly Schools in Jakarta. Pramono instructed the Department of Empowerment, Child Protection, and Population Control (PPAPP) to expand the reach of elderly schools so that more residents could participate.

"In my opinion, it is not the main diploma, but the process. Here, the elderly have room to meet, gather, interact, maintain happiness, and exchange information with each other. Moreover, now there are 'White troops' who are also tasked with serving the elderly. Hopefully this can lighten their lives," he explained.

Continuing, the Head of the DKI Jakarta PPAPP Office, Iin Mutmainnah, said that this grand graduation was not just a ceremony, but a form of real appreciation for the elderly group.

"As a vulnerable group, the elderly need serious attention," said Iin.

He said, based on Dukcapil data for the first semester of 2025, the number of elderly people in Jakarta reached 1,167,038 people or 10.6 percent of the total population. In detail, 543,017 men (46.5 percent) and 624,021 women (53.5 percent).

From this condition, the DKI Provincial Government through the PPAPP Office runs the Bina Keluarga Lansia (BKL) program, one of which is through the Elderly School. This program developed with the BKKBN is designed to improve the knowledge and skills of the elderly and their families in order to create a comfortable environment and support independence.

Iin added that his party is preparing a Governor Regulation on BKL through an Elderly School. This regulation is expected to encourage the quality of life for the elderly to be healthy, independent, active, productive, and dignified.

"With this regulation, we hope that the elderly can continue to contribute to development," he said.

This Elderly school is a non-formal education based on society. In it, participants are introduced to the concept of SMART in seven dimensions, namely spiritual, physical, emotional, intellectual, social, vocational, and environmental.