Sekolah Rakyat houses 44.200 poor children in 265 schools
The government says the program now serves 44.200 children and combines boarding-school education with economic support for parents.
Sekolah Rakyat now houses 44.200 children from poor and neglected families in 265 schools, according to Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar. A day earlier, Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya made an unannounced visit to Sekolah Rakyat Terintegrasi in Cikarang, Bekasi Regency, West Java, to observe student activities at night. Teddy said the program opens access to education for more than 45 thousand children who previously struggled to attend school. During the visit, he spoke with students, including Al Tariq, who lost both parents at age 3. Muhaimin added that support for children still needs to be strengthened, while parents of students are encouraged to join the LAKSMI program so families can become more economically independent.