The government is moving at full speed to prepare for the launch of President Prabowo Subianto ’s flagship education initiative, Sekolah Rakyat (community school), which aims to provide free boarding school education to underprivileged children from elementary to secondary levels.
With the programme scheduled to open in July, just months after its announcement, the focus has been on renovating state-owned buildings as well as recruiting teachers and support staff to meet the tight timeline.
However, as the Public Works Ministry scrambles to retrofit dozens of facilities and the Social Affairs Ministry accelerates staffing efforts, critics warn that the programme’s foundation remains shaky, with key questions about planning, quality and inclusivity left unanswered. Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf says the new schools for the programme will provide facilities on a par with top-tier institutions without tests on academic performance or IQ, which often restrict access to quality education.
“The only requirement to enter a Sekolah Rakyat is that the children come from poor families and have a willingness to learn,” Saifullah said on Wednesday on the ministry’s website.
But many are skeptical that the government’s timeline allows for the delivery of meaningful quality education or a thorough assessment of students’ needs.
The Public Works Ministry began 65 renovation projects in early May, followed by another 35 scheduled projects, which aim to convert buildings managed by the Social Affairs Ministry or the local government into school facilities.
But the renovation drive sparked a public backlash last week after it displaced visually impaired students from a century-old special needs school to make way for the programme.
The school is located in a rehabilitation centre run by the Social Affairs Ministry in Bandung, West Java, part of which is being converted into a community school.
In response to the criticism, the government has pledged to return the students to the former school once renovations are complete.
Meanwhile, an online recruitment has been launched to select principals from a pool of 160.
The new programme would use a three-stage curriculum framework geared toward developing the unique talents of students.
The first stage begins in June, when students arrive, and is designed to evaluate their physical fitness and health, as well as academic abilities.
The second stage begins when the school year starts in July, with all students following the national curriculum.
The third stage runs concurrently with a special curriculum for evening classes which focuses on character development, religious and civic values, digital literacy and essential life skills. — The Jakarta Post/ANN
