Social Assistance for Elementary School Students Should Not Be Immediately Eliminated

JAKARTA, KOMPAS - The policy to eliminate social assistance for children from poor and extremely poor groups received in community schools needs to be reconsidered. This program, initiated by President Prabowo Subianto, is still in its pilot phase.

A member of the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI), Aris Adi Leksono, stated that the people's school program will commence in July 2025. The impacts and benefits will only be felt after monitoring and evaluation are conducted in the future.

Meanwhile, if social assistance (bansos) to students of community schools is directly eliminated, those children will lose their right to receive such assistance. In fact, community schools have not yet proven to produce graduates who can immediately change their family's fortunes.

"There needs to be adjustments during this transition period. There is concern that children may drop out of community schools, while educational social assistance facilities from both the central and regional levels are also disrupted," said Aris when contacted on Saturday (5/7/2025).

To that end, he requested the Ministry of Social Affairs to explain in detail the cost components borne at the community schools to the parents of the students. The components of social assistance that were eliminated after being accepted at the community schools also need to be clarified to avoid misunderstandings.

Schools here certainly no longer need to be like KJP, this is fully covered by the government.

Aris proposed that the social assistance should continue to be distributed to meet the supporting needs of the teaching and learning process for students in community schools. For instance, the social assistance could be used to purchase additional books desired by students or to participate in study groups for the development of interests and talents.

"If there is social assistance from the local government, it needs to be optimized for the supporting needs of students in community schools. Well, that component, if it is not yet available, can be supported, such as the Jakarta Smart Card (KJP) which should continue to be provided for that purpose," he stated.

A sociologist from the University of Indonesia, Ida Ruwaida, added that students of the people's schools should no longer receive social assistance. This is because their lives, from basic needs such as clothing, food, shelter, to education, are fully supported by the state in the boarding school.

However, the social assistance funds should not be immediately eliminated, but rather allocated for children from poor and impoverished groups who have not yet received assistance and are unable to enroll in community schools. This is considering that the number of poor students entering community schools is limited and not all poor families have received social assistance.

"For families whose children attend community schools, certainly, educational social assistance can be eliminated and redirected to other poor students or to other impoverished areas. Thus, there will be an expansion or increase in the number of students receiving educational social assistance," said Ida.

Furthermore, he hopes that the government will continue to build regular schools with the same spirit as building community schools. This is to enhance the quality of education in Indonesia to be more inclusive and affirmative.

The Minister of Social Affairs, Saifullah Yusuf, during his visit to the People's School at the Handayani Center in East Jakarta on Sunday (29/6/2025), emphasized that students accepted into the people's school will no longer receive social assistance. This is because all of their needs are already covered by the state.

The social assistance that has been eliminated includes; the PKH (Family Hope Program) education assistance of Rp 250,000 for elementary school students, which is provided in four stages per year, Rp 375,000 for junior high school students, and Rp 500,000 for senior high school/vocational school students. In addition, social assistance from local governments may also be eliminated depending on the policies of regional heads.

"Automatically, those who have studied here. Those who study, not their younger siblings or older siblings. Those who study here certainly no longer need assistance like KJP, as this is fully covered by the government," said Saifullah.

To that end, Saifullah urged local governments to cease providing social assistance sourced from the Regional Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBD). The paradigm of providing social assistance must be transformed into social empowerment so that the poor and those in extreme poverty can become self-sufficient and free from dependence on social assistance.

Currently, a total of 100 community schools in the first phase, utilizing assets from the Ministry of Social Affairs, have been renovated for classrooms and student dormitories across 100 locations. Java is the region with the highest number of locations at 48, followed by Sumatra (22), Sulawesi (15), Bali-Nusa Tenggara, Kalimantan, and Maluku (each with 4), and Papua (3).

The initial phase of the people's school includes 395 learning groups at various levels (elementary, junior high, and senior high school) spread across 100 locations. There are a total of 9,755 students, with 1,554 teachers and 3,390 educational staff. It is planned that the teaching and learning activities will commence on July 14, 2025.

After the initial phase of 100 people's schools, the government is also preparing the next wave of people's schools, utilizing 122 vocational training centers (BLK) from the Ministry of Manpower and 45 buildings owned by local governments. The target for the next phase includes 424 class groups, involving 10,600 students, 2,180 teachers, and 4,069 educational staff.

Head of the People's School Formator Team, Mohammad Nuh added, the People's School curriculum is designed in a tailor-made manner (specific and contextual), adjusting to the needs of students and the social dynamics in their environment. This curriculum combines a national approach and local characteristics, covering three main contents: Preparatory Curriculum, Formal School Curriculum, and Boarding Curriculum.

In the preparation stage, each student will undergo assessments of their physical, mental, and academic readiness. This serves as a strong foundation before entering a more intensive learning process.

"With such an initial report, he will understand his true self, where his potential lies, thus he will have a sense of confidence," said Nuh.

After that, they will study based on the formal school curriculum that includes intracullicular, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities that support systematic academic learning.

In the dormitory, their character will be shaped by prioritizing values of character and leadership, spirituality, love for the homeland, language, and communication. Graduates of the people's school are expected to become superior and character-driven human resources.