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Indonesia's 'People's School' program costs Rp1.25 trillion, aims to combat poverty
🇮🇩 Indonesia /Culture & Society

Indonesia's 'People's School' program costs Rp1.25 trillion, aims to combat poverty

From CNN Indonesia · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY), stated that the "Sekolah Rakyat" program has cost Rp1.25 trillion.
  • The program aims to expand access to quality education and break the cycle of poverty.
  • Each school costs approximately Rp250 billion, with central government funding the physical construction and local governments responsible for land acquisition.

Indonesia's "Sekolah Rakyat" (People's School) program has incurred a budget of Rp1.25 trillion, according to Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY), the Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development. AHY announced this figure while inspecting the progress of the Sekolah Rakyat Terintegrasi II in Medan City.

If anyone asks how much the budget allocation is, each of these schools is approximately Rp250 billion. So, the total is around Rp1.25 trillion for the construction of these people's schools.

— Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY)Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, detailing the cost of the Sekolah Rakyat program.

The program prioritizes providing affordable, quality education as a strategy to break intergenerational poverty. AHY emphasized that these schools offer free education from admission to graduation. Graduates will have the option to pursue vocational training, higher education, or enter the workforce directly. "Education is the most effective instrument for improving community welfare," AHY stated, highlighting the state's responsibility to ensure equal opportunities for all Indonesian children, especially those from less fortunate backgrounds.

Of course, for the land area, it is the responsibility of each city and regency government.

— Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY)Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, clarifying land acquisition responsibilities.

Each integrated school, such as the one in Medan Tuntungan, is estimated to cost around Rp250 billion. The total Rp1.25 trillion budget covers the construction of multiple such facilities. While the central government funds the physical development, the responsibility for land acquisition rests with the respective regency and city governments.

We want to intervene to break the cycle of poverty through affordable, quality education.

— Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY)Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, explaining the program's goals.

The Sekolah Rakyat Terintegrasi II in Medan Tuntungan is situated on approximately six hectares of land owned by the Medan City government. This location is designed as an educational complex integrating elementary, junior high, and senior high school levels. The facility is expected to accommodate around 1,080 students, with 540 for elementary school and 270 each for junior and senior high school levels. AHY noted that this initiative is a priority of President Prabowo Subianto, with the Ministry of Social Affairs leading the program and the Ministry of Public Works supporting construction.

Even here, everything is free, from admission to graduation.

— Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY)Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, highlighting the accessibility of the schools.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by CNN Indonesia in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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