The “Sekolah Rakyat” program, initiated by President Prabowo Subianto to combat poverty through education, has officially started in the 2025/2026 academic year. The primary aim of this program is to provide quality education to children from impoverished backgrounds, eliminating the financial barriers that prevent them from accessing education. As stated by Adita Irawati from the Presidential Communication Office, the President believes that education is crucial in breaking the cycle of poverty and ensuring a brighter future for all children.
Many families in Indonesia’s lowest income decile struggle to afford the hidden costs associated with education, such as transportation, meals, uniforms, and school supplies. This leads to a lack of access to quality education, which further perpetuates the cycle of poverty. The “Sekolah Rakyat” program aims to address this issue by providing fully-funded boarding school facilities for children in need, covering all their educational expenses.
Poverty in Indonesia continues to hinder human capital development and poses a significant challenge to achieving the country’s development goals for 2045. Economic hardships prevent many children from vulnerable backgrounds from continuing their education beyond the junior secondary level. President Prabowo’s initiative seeks to empower these children with the necessary skills and knowledge to enter the workforce or start their own businesses, thereby breaking the cycle of poverty in their families and communities.
By providing equal access to quality education and life skills training, the “Sekolah Rakyat” program aims to create a generation of young leaders who can contribute to Indonesia’s Golden Vision for 2045. Through this initiative, President Prabowo hopes to ensure that every child in Indonesia has the opportunity to reach their full potential and build a brighter future for themselves and their nation.
