Indonesia Forms Urgent Task Force to Build Permanent Schools for Nation's Poorest Students

Ministry forms team to speed up permanent Sekolah Rakyat buildings

Indonesia's Social Affairs Ministry has established an emergency task force to accelerate construction of permanent buildings for dozens of Sekolah Rakyat schools facing imminent closure due to inadequate temporary facilities, officials announced Friday.

The Sekolah Rakyat Development Acceleration Team (TP2SR) will oversee construction at 61 pilot school sites that were not included in the Public Works Ministry's initial 100-site construction quota due to land administrative complications. These schools, which serve children from families in the poorest 20 percent of Indonesian households, currently operate in temporary structures projected to last less than one year.

Deputy Social Affairs Minister Agus Jabo Priyono warned that failure to complete permanent buildings this year could force school closures in 2026.

If we cannot ensure construction happens this year, there is a very high chance these schools will have to close next year because the buildings will no longer be sufficient.

He said Thursday during a meeting to formalize the task force.

The urgency reflects the rapid expansion of Sekolah Rakyat since President Prabowo Subianto officially inaugurated 166 schools across 34 provinces in January 2026. The boarding school program, which operates from elementary through senior high school levels, provides free education, accommodation, meals, and health services to students from families listed in desil 1 and 2 categories of the National Integrated Socio-Economic Data (DTSEN) database.

By October 2025, approximately 16,000 students were enrolled across 165 Sekolah Rakyat locations, with most schools operating from repurposed government facilities. The government plans to add 30,000 more students in 2026, creating additional pressure for permanent infrastructure.

Addressing Land Administration Barriers

The acceleration team will conduct an evaluation session on August 12, 2026, bringing together representatives from 57 regional governments responsible for the 61 affected school sites.

Our task is to make sure these sites already have land preparation in place. Please collect data and identify the land status, who has submitted proposals, what the issues are, and which ministries are involved.

Priyono said.

The task force's mandate includes data preparation, coordination to resolve regional issues, and ongoing assistance through the construction phase. Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf, who assumed his position in September 2024 after serving as Mayor of Pasuruan and Vice Governor of East Java, directed the formation of the team to ensure construction begins this year.

Breaking the Cycle of Educational Inequality

The program addresses a critical gap in Indonesia's education system, where family and economic factors remain the most significant drivers of school dropout rates. Children from poor households face substantial barriers to covering education costs, making free boarding schools essential for keeping vulnerable students in the education system.

The Social Affairs Ministry's oversight of Sekolah Rakyat, rather than the Education Ministry, underscores the program's dual focus on poverty alleviation and social empowerment alongside academic instruction. DTSEN, established under Presidential Instruction No. 4 of 2025, integrates three previous databases into a unified national registry used to identify eligible students and coordinate social assistance programs.

Beyond free education, Sekolah Rakyat students receive guarantees for both employment placement and higher education scholarships upon graduation, with the government facilitating job placements. Parents benefit from the elimination of school costs and access to free health checks under the program.

The construction acceleration effort represents a critical intervention to prevent disruption of educational services for thousands of students from Indonesia's most economically disadvantaged families, as temporary facilities approach their operational limits.