Build Boarding Schools, Prabowo Targets Structural Poverty

JAKARTA - President Prabowo Subianto emphasized the government's commitment to building free boarding schools for children from poor families as a strategic effort to break the chain of poverty in Indonesia.

This was conveyed by the President in his speech at the 2026 World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday local time.

According to Prabowo, poverty is often passed down from one generation to the next. Therefore, the state must be present to provide equal access to education to provide a better future.

"We have built 160 boarding schools for the poorest children and will reach 500. Our goal is to break the chain of poverty. Usually, poor farmers' children will remain poor farmers. Garbage collectors will become garbage collectors. I am determined to break that circle of poverty," said Prabowo.

Through the boarding school program, the Indonesian government wants to ensure that children from the most vulnerable groups can obtain quality education, a decent learning environment, and equal opportunities to change their future.

The Head of State also conveyed the plan to renovate 60 thousand schools and build 1,000 modern integrated schools as part of the transformation of national education.

This step is believed to strengthen the quality of human resources and accelerate social mobility of the community.

In addition, the education policy is in line with the poverty alleviation and people's economic empowerment programs.

The President said that extreme poverty in Indonesia is currently at its lowest point in history, and the government is targeting the eradication of extreme poverty in the next four years.

"The task of a leader, a teacher told me, is very simple: make the poor and weak smile. That is my life's mission," said the President.

The President emphasized that all government social policies were aimed at encouraging productivity and sustainable growth, including an annual free health examination program to reduce long-term health costs.

Thus, Indonesia will be able to build a more just, inclusive, and free future from structural poverty.

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Tag: prabowo subianto