Is it Right to Improve Education by Building Public Schools?

Where will the People's School be built?

People's Schools will be built as much as possible throughout Indonesia. However, 53 schools have been deemed ready to start in the 2025/2026 school year.

There are 33 service centers and six halls managed by the Ministry of Social Affairs, one polytechnic, as well as one center for education and training in professional development that can soon be repurposed into community schools. These facilities can accommodate up to 2,500 students.

In addition, there are still two campuses, namely Brawijaya University Malang and Surabaya State University, which are also participating in this program. Ten other locations were proposed by local governments in West Java, East Java, Banten, Jakarta, the Special Region of Yogyakarta, and West Sumatra.

In Central Java, for example, there are four social service centers owned by the Ministry of Social Affairs that are considered to be able to be used for public schools. The four centers are located in Temanggung, Pati, Magelang, and Surakarta City.

Are People's Schools an effective solution for educating children from poor families?

The People's School is designed to help children from extremely poor families get a decent education without any cost. The education model offered not only provides free learning, but also dormitory facilities and nutritional fulfillment for students. Thus, this school is expected to be able to break the chain of poverty through more equitable education.

However, the effectiveness of the People's School is still questionable. One of the challenges is whether this model will provide the same quality of education as regular schools or will actually create social segregation in the world of education. In addition, if the curriculum and teaching staff are not well prepared, it is feared that this school will only become an alternative school without sufficient competitiveness to increase social mobility for its students.

On the other hand, building new schools with large investments may not be the main solution needed. While a large budget is allocated for the construction of People's Schools, many regular schools still lack infrastructure and quality educators. If improving the quality of existing schools is not a priority, the existence of People's Schools is at risk of becoming just a government project without significant long-term impact.

Does the People's School have the potential to widen the educational gap with regular schools?

One of the main criticisms of the People's School is the potential for a dichotomy between special schools for the poor and regular schools. Rather than providing equal access to education, this model could create a stigma that the People's School is a "second-class" school that is only intended for those who cannot afford it. This is feared to widen the gap in the quality of education between the lower and middle economic groups.

Meanwhile, there is also the Garuda Excellence School which is intended for gifted children with a science and technology-based curriculum. This will further clarify the separation in the education system. If the People's School and the Garuda Excellence School are both managed separately from regular schools, then what happens is not equal education, but rather grouping of students based on their economic and intellectual backgrounds.

Alternatively, a more comprehensive approach could be to improve the quality of existing public schools so that all children, regardless of their economic background, receive the same quality education. This could be done by improving school facilities, increasing teacher capacity, and ensuring that affirmative action policies actually work in the regular education system.

What is the funding model and sustainability of the People's School in the long term?

The government has prepared funds of Rp100 billion for each People's School to be built. This figure is quite large, especially when compared to the overall education budget needs. However, the bigger challenge is how to ensure that this funding is sustainable and does not become a short-term project that depends on changing political policies.

In many cases, government-initiated education projects often face obstacles in implementation due to limited operational budgets after the initial construction is completed. This risks making schools built with large funds not function optimally due to lack of teachers, poorly maintained facilities, or even unsustainable due to subsequent changes in government policy.

To ensure the sustainability of this program, there needs to be a clear strategy, such as a funding mechanism that does not only rely on the APBN but also involves the private sector and the community. In addition, transparency in budget management and periodic evaluations must be implemented so that Sekolah Rakyat truly becomes a long-term solution for the education system in Indonesia.