Prabowo Lauds Extraordinary Achievement as 100 'Sekolah Rakyat' Open Nationwide

Jakarta: President Prabowo Subianto expressed his delight that 100 People's School (Sekolah Rakyat) have already been established within just six months since the program was first initiated, calling it an extraordinary achievement.

Currently, 100 schools are already in operation, with the number expected to reach 165 next month. The government is targeting 200 schools by next year.

“I would like to thank the inter-ministerial team that managed to plan, establish, and operate the Sekolah Rakyat up until today. To be honest, reaching 100 schools is beyond my initial expectations,” Prabowo said while addressing teachers and principals of the Sekolah Rakyat program at JIExpo Kemayoran, Jakarta, on Friday, August 20, 2025.

He recalled first introducing the idea in February, when ministers committed to realizing the schools by July 2025. “They reported back, and I said, don’t force it. I understood how difficult it would be to plan something entirely new,” Prabowo said.

According to him, the challenges ranged from planning, budgeting, securing school buildings, selecting teachers and principals, to student recruitment. “I told them not to push it,” he added.

Prabowo admitted he initially calculated that the schools could only realistically be launched by July 2026. But, he praised his “Red and White Cabinet” for exceeding expectations. “Once given a task, there were no Sundays, no holidays, no working hours. Everyone worked tirelessly,” he said.

Eventually, the Minister of Social Affairs reported that 100 schools were ready by July 2025, with 165 expected to be operational by September. “This is extraordinary. I must thank the ministers, coordinating ministers, and everyone who worked hand in hand to establish 165 schools,” Prabowo said.

He noted that the ministers had gone beyond his expectations, working well, working hard, and working smart. “The result is 100 schools, soon to be 165. Next year, we hope to reach 200,” the President stated.

Prabowo emphasized his determination to improve the lives of underprivileged Indonesians, urging his cabinet to work hard to eliminate absolute poverty.

The Sekolah Rakyat program is one of President Prabowo’s priority initiatives, aimed at providing free, quality education for children from poor families and breaking the cycle of poverty.

The boarding school program also functions as a model for integrated poverty alleviation, combining various priority initiatives such as free health checks, nutritious meals, health insurance, Red and White Village Cooperatives, and the 3 Million Homes program.

So far, 100 schools have been established across Indonesia and will increase to 165 locations by September 2025.

The 100 existing schools are spread across the country, including Aceh (3), North Sumatra (4), Riau (3), Riau Islands (1), West Sumatra (3), Jambi (2), Bengkulu (2), South Sumatra (3), Jakarta (3), West Java (13), Central Java (9), Yogyakarta (2), East Java (19), Bali (1), West Nusa Tenggara (2), East Nusa Tenggara (1), Central Kalimantan (1), South Kalimantan (2), East Kalimantan (1), North Sulawesi (2), Central Sulawesi (2), South Sulawesi (8), West Sulawesi (2), Southeast Sulawesi (1), North Maluku (3), Papua (3), Lampung (1), Banten (2), and Maluku (1).

For the 2025/2026 academic year, the Ministry of Social Affairs targets 165 schools with a total capacity of 15,895 students, supported by 2,407 teachers and 4,442 education staff.

Also read: President Hopes Graduates of ‘Sekolah Rakyat’ Can Lift Families Out of Poverty