Thunderous applause filled the Indonesian Aviation Polytechnic Building in Curug, Banten, on Saturday (8/8), as several students from Sekolah Rakyat performed before Cabinet Secretary Lieutenant Colonel Teddy Indra Wijaya and Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf. The performances included singing, speeches in foreign languages and a choir.
One standout performance was poetry accompanied by music, performed by Zahwa Anindita Fauzi, a student from Sekolah Rakyat 4 Jakarta. With guitar accompaniment, Zahwa recited a poem titled "From the Streets to Hope" that told of how her life changed after getting the chance to attend school. "Once the streets were where we looked for food. Now Sekolah Rakyat is where we reach for the future," Zahwa said in one verse.
The event was part of preparations for the School Environment Introduction Programme at Integrated Sekolah Rakyat 8 in Tangerang Regency. On the occasion, Lieutenant Colonel Teddy explained that the Sekolah Rakyat programme is President Prabowo Subianto's initiative to ensure Indonesian children have access to quality education, including those from low-income families. According to him, the programme has so far enabled 43,000 children who were previously out of school to attend school.
Minister of Social Affairs Gus Ipul revealed that the Sekolah Rakyat programme is the result of cooperation between the central and regional governments, with regional governments providing land and the central government building school infrastructure. He gave an example of a student who previously struggled with reading English but, after a year at Sekolah Rakyat, showed much improved ability.
Gus Ipul stressed that differences in students' backgrounds and abilities are not a reason to deny them educational opportunities. The students' performances demonstrated that within a year of operation, they have become much more confident.
