Two Months Left, People's School in Lampung for 100 Students

BANDAR LAMPUNG, KOMPAS - Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf inspected the readiness of facilities and visited prospective students of the people's school in Lampung on Monday (12/4/2025). Although there are only two months left, the government is optimistic about being able to hold the people's school in the 2025/2026 academic year.

The location designated for the people's school in Lampung is the Lampung Human Resource Development Agency (BPSDM). This site is situated in Hajimena Village, Natar District, South Lampung Regency, Lampung.

The location is equipped with a number of facilities. In addition to classrooms, there are also 80 units of rooms or dormitories, a meeting hall, practical rooms, and places of worship.

"Today we are directly reviewing the prospective location for holding People's Schools in Lampung for the 2025/2026 academic year," said Saifullah.

According to him, the Ministry of Public Works will assess the feasibility of the buildings and facilities at BPSDM. In addition to preparing facilities for the people's school, the government is also in the process of selecting prospective students and teachers who will be involved in the program.

All prospective students of the people's school must be included in the National Single Social Economic Data (DTSEN). Prospective students must also fall within the first decile or the group of households with the lowest welfare level or extreme poverty.

In addition to undergoing administrative processes and field surveys, prospective students must also undergo health tests. Subsequently, they will be officially designated as students of the people's school.

Although there are only two months left, the government is optimistic about being able to organize the people's school program in Lampung. Learning at the people's school in Lampung will commence in July 2025. The curriculum for the people's school is being developed by the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education.

Nationally, there are currently 65 locations ready to implement the people's school program. The people's schools prepared will open this year, starting from the elementary, junior high, and senior high school levels.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Governor of Lampung, Jihan Nurlela, stated that the local government has proposed BPSDM Lampung as the location for the establishment of a people's school for the first cohort. This year, there will be four learning groups at the senior high school level, or approximately 100 students, who will be educated at the people's school.

Jihan added that the Lampung Provincial Government has also prepared a vacant land area of 10 hectares in the Kota Baru area, South Lampung, for the construction of a people's school facility. This effort is a form of support for the National People's School Program initiated by President Prabowo Subianto.

In addition to reviewing the readiness of the people's school facilities, Saifullah also visited several homes of prospective students of the people's school in Bandar Lampung. Besides directly observing the living conditions of the prospective students, Saifullah also conversed with the prospective students and their families.

Several prospective students of the people's school in Bandar Lampung are residents living in densely populated settlements in Gunung Sulah Village, Way Halim District, Bandar Lampung City. They come from extremely poor families living in non-permanent housing.

Saifullah stated that the government also plans to prepare a decent housing program for the families of students from community schools. Through this program, not only children from poor families can improve their lives, but their families are also expected to obtain suitable housing.

In the long term, the government will also strive to provide educational scholarships for students who have graduated and wish to continue their education to higher education levels. Meanwhile, students who wish to enter the workforce immediately after graduating from high school will also be facilitated in obtaining job opportunities that match their skills.

The parents of one of the prospective students of the community school, Vera Oktavia (35), expressed their gratitude that their child received an offer to become a student at the community school. Their child, Rizki Mubarok (15), will graduate this year from SMP Negeri 44 Bandar Lampung.

Initially, Vera was still uncertain whether she could finance her child's education up to high school. Her husband works only as an online motorcycle taxi driver. Meanwhile, she works as a cleaning staff at a mall in Bandar Lampung. The family rents land and has built a non-permanent house on it.