Prabowo orders more tuition-free 'Sekolah Rakyat' schools in Bali

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has instructed his cabinet to expand the tuition-free Sekolah Rakyat (People's School) program in Bali, increasing the number of schools to meet high demand from vulnerable communities.

"The central government will later find and secure the land," he said while inspecting the Sekolah Rakyat Junior High School (SRMP) 17 Tabanan in Bali on Sunday, as monitored via a Presidential Secretariat broadcast.

The president explained that the directive to accelerate construction was issued in response to reports of overcrowding at Bali's sole Sekolah Rakyat facility.

According to operational data, enrollment at SRMP 17 Tabanan has surged past 400 students, significantly exceeding the school's actual capacity of just 270 children.

To address the immediate classroom shortage, the president requested that underutilized state-owned assets be permanently repurposed for teaching and learning activities.

President Prabowo underscored that Sekolah Rakyat is a manifestation of the government's efforts to enhance the education and training sector to improve the quality of life of Indonesians.

Responding to the directive, Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf, whose ministry oversees the Sekolah Rakyat program, outlined plans to expand the reach of the tuition-free school initiative.

"The plan is to have one Sekolah Rakyat school in every district and city," he said regarding the expansion roadmap in Bali.

The minister added technical details on student enrollment regulations, noting that zoning rules and quota fulfillment depend heavily on local governments providing land.

He explained that if the land is provided by the Bali Provincial Government, the school will be accessible to residents from all districts and cities across the province.

However, if a district or city government provides the land, admission will be reserved exclusively for residents of that specific region.

Sekolah Rakyat is one of the priority programs of President Prabowo Subianto, aimed at providing free education access to children from underprivileged families as part of efforts to alleviate poverty.

By 2029, the government seeks to establish at least 500 schools under the program.

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Translator: Aditya Ramadhan, Raka Adji

Editor: Azis Kurmala

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