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View all search resultsParents place high hopes in Sekolah Rakyat as schools open
The Social Affairs Ministry opened the doors of 63 Sekolah Rakyat (community school) sites across the country on Monday, with students slated to undergo orientation and assessments first before starting the regular learning process in August.
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A teacher collect data on Sekolah Rakyat students ahead of the health examination at the SRMA 5 Jambi Sekolah Rakyat senior high school in Jambi on July 14, 2025. (Antara/Wahdi Septiawan)
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ixty-three boarding schools under President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship Sekolah Rakyat (community school) program officially opened their doors to over 6,000 students on Monday, with parents from the poorest 10 percent of households in the country sending their children off with high hopes for a better future.
On Monday, construction worker Ahmad Romji from Tebet in South Jakarta dropped off his youngest daughter Naila at the Social Affairs Ministry’s training center in South Gandaria, also in South Jakarta, one of the ministry’s welfare centers nationwide converted into Sekolah Rakyat boarding schools.
After a lifetime of working as a laborer to support his wife and three children, he often wondered if he could still do enough to help Naila chase her dreams of becoming a doctor.
“Naila’s dreamed of becoming a doctor since she was little,” the 58-year-old father said. “I want the best for her, but I used to worry it was out of reach. Then a social worker told me she could study for free at Sekolah Rakyat.”
“I was nervous about sending her off. But when I saw how sure she was, I just hope her dream will come true, and that I’ll still be around to see it.”
Read also: Govt set to kick off Sekolah Rakyat despite tepid reception
