Indonesia's door-to-door free school program gives poor children hope

..Sekolah Rakyat as a learning environment free from bullying, physical and sexual harassment, and intolerance.

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Rizky, a boy from Tabanan, Bali, had never filled out admission forms or stood in line at a school admissions office after completing elementary education.

It was not out of lack of motivation; his mother, Ni Putu Yuniawati, a farm worker, simply could not afford the next three years of study. She raised six children, five of whom never made it past junior high.

For the family, education was nothing more than a distant dream. They had come to regard it as a luxury beyond reach—until someone knocked on their door.

It was a Family Hope program officer, sent by the local social affairs office, who came straight to ask whether Rizky aspired to return to school.

No registration forms, no admission announcements—the government goes door to door, embracing children under a flagship program called Sekolah Rakyat (People’s School).

Launched in 2025, the program marks a break from education traditions long carved into public consciousness, sparing hopeful children and parents the admission announcements and the trouble of lining up in long queues that typically form at daybreak outside school gates.

Sekolah Rakyat is where the government proactively extends a hand to those in need. It delivers education without the usual registration, reaching children directly at their homes.

With the National Single Socioeconomic Data (DTSEN) at their disposal, social affairs officers knock on one door after another, visiting families and verifying their conditions to determine which children qualify for the national program.

To ensure precise implementation, the government has dedicated Sekolah Rakyat to children from families flagged as poor or extremely poor in DTSEN.

Putu Jaya Negara, principal of Junior High Sekolah Rakyat (SRMP) 17 Tabanan, dubbed the on-site assessment a “ground check” meant to ensure conditions are satisfied and to survey children’s willingness to enroll in the program.

“Once the requirements are met, children can be admitted,” he said.

The program offers new hope for families struggling to afford quality education, including in Tabanan, where pupils largely come from farmers’ and daily workers’ households.

Anchoring his family’s livelihood in farmlands, I Nyoman Sukonado welcomed Sekolah Rakyat as an unexpected shortcut to education for his child. Never had he imagined a day when his child could enroll in a boarding school offering quality education, proper uniforms, and daily meals for free.

In line with the 12-year mandatory education policy, Sekolah Rakyat offers comprehensive learning experiences spanning elementary, junior high, and senior high levels. These schools follow the national curriculum, with a stronger emphasis on character development

Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf said he envisions Sekolah Rakyat as a learning environment free from bullying, physical and sexual harassment, and intolerance. Automatic dropout is enforced for any student engaging in such behavior.

This approach is beginning to bear fruit. Once resigned to hopelessness and economic barriers, Rizky now dares to dream of becoming an agricultural engineer.

Another beneficiary, Gede Bagus Abimanyu, even found the courage to share his life story with President Prabowo Subianto during a visit to SRMP 17 Tabanan.

He said the school had helped him build confidence and self-esteem, breaking free from his past as a lonesome bullying victim in elementary school.

The boy is now motivated to keep his peers away from the bitter experience he once endured.

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Scaling up the reach

By early 2026, 166 Sekolah Rakyat schools were operating in temporary facilities across 131 districts and cities in 34 provinces. They accommodate 15,954 students in total, supported by 2,218 teachers and more than 4,800 staff members.

Among these schools is SRMP 17 Tabanan, which serves 74 students from four districts in Bali, grouped into three study classes.

Assigned to spearhead the program, the Social Affairs Ministry has charted a road map for Sekolah Rakyat, aiming to expand coverage to more than 32,000 students by the 2026-2027 academic year and to cross the 100,000 mark by the following term.

In Minister Yusuf’s words, the program could even reach as many as 500,000 students by 2030, with each of 500 planned permanent school complexes designed to house 1,000 pupils.

These tall targets gained new momentum as President Prabowo visited SRMP 17 Tabanan on June 7.

Arriving in his trademark khaki safari shirt, Prabowo was welcomed by 16 pupils performing the Balinese group dance kecak. He took a moment to appreciate and shake their hands one by one.

He then stepped into a hall, joining students and parents for a sharing session, followed by a lunch break featuring meals served under another flagship initiative, the Free Nutritious Meals program.

Encouraged by the program's progress, the president asked about school capacity in Bali.

To his surprise, a permanent Sekolah Rakyat complex under development in Karangasem District can only serve a maximum of 270 students, according to the social affairs minister, who contrasted the figure with 406 children already registered from across Bali.

The president responded with an order for aides to ramp up facility construction for the national priority program, ensuring it delivers on promises of quality education for children in need.

Data from the Ministry of Public Works shows construction is underway at 93 locations, with progress averaging 71.13 percent as of June 4. At this rate, at least 69 schools are targeted to complete development by July.

Sekolah Rakyat was born from the reality that many Indonesian children never register for school—not because they are unwilling, but because economic strains have gripped their families so tightly that they have given up on the prospect of betterment.

For them, schooling has long been just a dream—sometimes even an alien concept—while many agree to see it as one of the most basic rights everyone ought to have access to.

Now the state is trying to alter that reality. The question that remains is how quickly, and how far, the government can reach those who have only ever dreamed of going to school.

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Editor: M Razi Rahman

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