Indonesia's state secretary, Teddy Indra Wijaya, said that 43,000 children who previously lived on the streets are now enrolled in the country's public schools, known as Sekolah Rakyat. The statement was reported by Kompas.com on Sunday, August 9, 2026.
The announcement came during a visit to a pilot Sekolah Rakyat site, where Wijaya and the social affairs minister observed the program in action. According to detikNews, a student at the school recited a poem titled "From the Streets to Hope" in front of the state secretary during the visit.
Sekolah Rakyat is a government initiative designed to provide formal education to children from marginalized backgrounds, including those living on the streets. The program aims to offer these children a pathway out of poverty through schooling and structured support.
The social affairs minister has set a target of enrolling 150,000 children in Sekolah Rakyat by 2027, as reported by CNN Indonesia. This would represent a significant expansion from the current enrollment of 43,000 students.
To support this growth, Liputan6.com reports that 100 new Sekolah Rakyat campuses are scheduled to begin operations by the end of this month. These additional facilities would help accommodate the expected increase in student numbers over the coming years.
The government's push to expand the program reflects a broader effort to address child homelessness and improve educational access for vulnerable populations. The recent visits by senior officials suggest that the initiative remains a policy priority.
Observers will be watching whether the government meets its 2027 enrollment target and how the 100 new campuses perform once fully operational.
