Gov’t Opens Educational Access to Presidential Palace

A teacher at State Vocational High School 19 Jakarta gives a statement to the press on Tuesday (04/07).

The Government has opened educational access to the Presidential Palace for students. State Vocational High School (SMKN) 19 Jakarta students took the opportunity and visited the Palace on Tuesday (04/07), to gain firsthand insight into the workings of government bureaucracy.

Christine Rambing, one of the teachers accompanying the students, expressed her gratitude for the opportunity. On behalf of the school, she expressed appreciation for President Prabowo Subianto’s and Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya’s initiative to open the Palace to students.

“Our students gained knowledge on government bureaucracy, especially within the Ministry of State Secretariat. Our colleagues, the teachers, were also very pleased. The students were especially happy to be the first to take part in this program,” Christine told the press.

The visit, she further stated, brought not only a sense of pride but also surprises. Initially, they imagined their visit would be limited to attending a discussion session. However, they were instead invited to explore various rooms at the State Palace.

“We followed [the program], and unexpectedly, we were also invited on a room tour to see the State Palace and its surroundings, a place we had never visited before. As we made our way into [the palace], room by room, we received an [insightful] education,” she said.

This program also allowed students to engage in a dialogue. In a Q&A session, the students actively expressed their aspirations and questions, including how to convey their ideas to the Government.

For Christine, this experience provides a strong learning value and is relevant to the educational process at school. She added that students not only understand theory but also see firsthand the implementation of the public policies they have been studying.

This opportunity did not just come by chance. She explained that the school actively sought information and applied to participate in the program.

“It just so happened that there were programs involving civil servants in our school’s activities. We then received this information from them and decided to follow up to see if we could participate in activities organized by the Cabinet Secretariat,” she said.

This program was met with enthusiasm from students and teachers, reflecting a deeper impact of hands-on experience. They returned home not only with stories but also with aspirations to be part of the generation that would shape Indonesia. (BPMI of Presidential Secretariat) (FI/TM)