JakartaPost-March 6, 2025
Just weeks after public protests over government policies and large bureaucracy, President Prabowo Subianto instructed his cabinet ministers to roll out several new populist policies; a move observers call an attempt to regain public trust amid controversies hitting his administration. The President delivered the instruction during a cabinet meeting and iftar with dozens of ministers and agency heads to discuss updates on several of his priority programs. The event was held behind closed doors in the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta, but several officials, including First Deputy Home Minister Bima Arya Sugiarto, talked to journalists on what Prabowo told his cabinet during the iftar. “The President [gave] a few orders related to accessible education,” Bima said on Tuesday. “He plans [to launch] the Sekolah Rakyat [People’s School] and favorite school programs, while also fixing facilities and school buildings in remote areas.” The two programs have often been considered Prabowo’s quick wins in the education sector. Sekolah Rakyat targets children from poor families while the favorite school program, officially called the Garuda School, is an initiative to create schools specialized for high-performing students in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. Details about the Garuda School remain sparse, but other officials claimed that the Sekolah Rakyat is expected to kick off and take in students later this year. “The President asked us to accelerate the program by working with governors, regents and mayors. We’ll identify [the locations] and make a more detailed plan according to the President’s directives,” Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf said after the iftar event on Tuesday. He added that the future Sekolah Rakyat would be boarding schools that can accommodate students of elementary, middle and vocational schools. Read more at:
