KALSEL - The government has emphasized that the People's School (SR) is not just an education project, but a bold step for the country to break the chain of poverty.
This was conveyed by the Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi to reporters after the inauguration of the People's School at the Great Hall of Social Welfare Education and Training (BBPPKS), Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan, Monday, January 12, 2026.
Prasetyo said that so far 166 People's Schools have operated in various regions of Indonesia. These schools have accommodated around 15,000 students from elementary, middle, to high school levels, all of which come from families with the most difficult economic conditions.
"This is indeed special for our brothers who need it most," said Prasetyo in a written statement, Monday, January 12, 2026.
He emphasized that the People's School is a sign of the state's presence in fulfilling the basic rights of citizens, especially access to education. According to him, this step has been questioned from the beginning, but the government chose to continue because education cannot wait for an ideal situation.
"This is a non-normative step. We must dare to think out of the box to break poverty," he said.
Prasetyo explained that the government would continue to massively improve regular schools. This year, the government targets a minimum of 60,000 schools to be renovated. In addition, by 2025 the government will distribute interactive panels to around 288,000 schools to improve the quality of learning.
However, he assessed that improving public schools alone was not enough. Therefore, facilities owned by the Ministry of Social Affairs were utilized so that the People's School could immediately operate without waiting for new construction.
Prasetyo emphasized that this year, the government targets the construction of ideal People's Schools in 104 additional points.
After Banjarbaru, the President's entourage is scheduled to go to Balikpapan to inaugurate an oil refinery, before reviewing the Nusantara Capital City (IKN). The government considers accelerating the industrial sector to reduce foreign exchange outflows and strengthen national energy resilience.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
