Jakarta. President Prabowo Subianto has inaugurated the operations of 166 Sekolah Rakyat schools nationwide at the start of 2026, with state spending reaching Rp 6.6 trillion ($390.02 million) as of last year.

According to the Finance Ministry’s report on the realization of the 2025 state budget released on Sunday, the Sekolah Rakyat program has absorbed Rp 6.6 trillion, or 80.5% of its Rp 8.2 trillion allocation. The spending includes Rp 5.4 trillion for the renovation of education facilities by the Public Works Ministry and Rp 1.1 trillion for education delivery overseen by the Social Affairs Ministry.

The 166 schools, spanning elementary to senior high levels, are spread across 69 locations in Java, 35 in Sumatra, 28 in Sulawesi, 13 in Kalimantan, 14 in Maluku and Papua, and seven in Bali and Nusa Tenggara.

The program currently serves 15,895 students from low-income households, classified in the bottom income deciles, and involves 6,849 teachers and education personnel.

Designed as a strategic initiative, Sekolah Rakyat aims to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty by expanding access to quality education, particularly for children from poor and extremely poor families, while preparing Indonesia’s “Golden Generation 2045” (Indonesia Emas 2045) to become future leaders and agents of change.

Students enrolled in the program receive comprehensive facilities as part of an integrated poverty-alleviation model, including health checkups, talent mapping, basic academic competency training, discipline-building, dormitory accommodation, uniforms and school supplies, three daily meals plus two snacks, and digital learning support.

Launched as a pilot project in 2025, the government plans to continue expanding the program’s reach. Prabowo has repeatedly stressed that education remains a key strategy to eliminate intergenerational poverty. “We have successfully inaugurated 166 Sekolah Rakyat today. Our target is 500 schools by 2029, and inshallah, we will achieve it,” Prabowo said recently at Sekolah Rakyat Terpadu 9 in Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan.

The president acknowledged that scaling up the program remains challenging, but praised his team for pushing the initiative forward. Each school is expected to eventually accommodate up to 1,000 students, which would bring total enrollment to around 500,000 nationwide.

From the current level of about 15,000 students, enrollment is projected to double to 30,000 by the end of 2026 as more schools come online. By the end of his term in 2029, Prabowo said he hopes Indonesia can eradicate extreme poverty by transforming the lives of those currently trapped in it.

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