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View all search resultsJakarta steps up efforts to reduce school dropout rates
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A woman lies on a wooden frame above a floor piled with green mussel shells on Sept. 20, 2025, in Cilincing, North Jakarta. Green mussels are widely harvested in Jakarta Bay, but there are concerns that pollution from factories and households may accumulate in them, including heavy metals and other contaminants. (AFP/YASUYOSHI CHIBA )
T
he Jakarta administration's new "Back to School" program has won praise for seeking to return out-of-school children to classrooms, but education experts caution that free schooling and outreach alone will not solve the factors driving children to drop out.
The first phase of the initiative, which began on July 28, targets 180 out-of-school children in the West Jakarta districts of Taman Sari, Tambora, Cengkareng and Kalideres.
Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung’s special staff member, Cyril Raoul “Chico” Hakim, said officials were identifying and assisting out-of-school children through door-to-door visits involving the West Jakarta administration, district and subdistrict offices, neighborhood units (RT/RW) and Family Welfare Movement (PKK) volunteers.
Some children have already re-enrolled in formal schools, he said, while those who have been out of school for longer periods have been referred to nonformal education through Sanggar Kegiatan Belajar (SKB) community learning centers, which offer flexible and vocational-based learning.
“We hope no child in Jakarta is left behind in education. Through this program, we are committed to providing inclusive, equitable and quality education while improving the city’s human resources,” Chico told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
“Its success depends not only on the government, but also on parents, teachers, community leaders, businesses and society as a whole.”
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