President Prabowo Orders Strengthening of Vocational School and Integrated School to Eradicate Poverty

President Prabowo Subianto holds a limited cabinet meeting with several ministers of Red and White Cabinet at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Wednesday (11/5). (Photo by: BPMI of Presidential Secretariat)

President Prabowo Subianto emphasized the importance of the education sector as key factor in breaking the cycle of poverty. During the limited meeting with several ministers of Red and White Cabinet at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Wednesday (11/5), the Head of State gave directives on poverty eradication strategy that should be focused on two big steps, namely strengthening vocational education and developing integrated school at the district level.

Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Cultural Affairs (Menko PMK) Pratikno explained, Government’s main priority is to strengthen vocational education in order to ensure that national graduates have adequate competency that aligns with the need of labor market, both domestically and internationally.

“Vocational education will be the main priority of this sector. It is about how we match between supply side of the education sector with the demand side of labor sector, both domestically and internationally,” said Pratikno in his press statement to the media after the meeting.

According to Minster Pratikno, President Prabowo ordered the education sector to not only prepare students with technical ability, but also to equip them with foreign language abilities and cross-cultural understanding. These, he said, are importance to support Indonesia’s labor competitiveness.
“This will prepare workers to meet the domestic labor demand, both at the lower and high-technology levels, as well as for migrant workers,” said Pratikno.

In addition to vocational education, President Prabowo also ordered his subordinate to start designing the concept of integrated school in each district. This integrated school model is expected to become a holistic education centre that combines elementary, junior high, and high school level within one area equipped with complete facilities from science laboratory, vocational workshop, to art and sport facilities.

“President also ordered us to start designing integrated school. If Sekolah Rakyat program, which is coordinated by Minister of Social and Coordinating Minister for Legal, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections Affairs, is designated for deciles 1 and 2, and also Garuda School, then integrated school program is designated for children from deciles 3,4,5, and 6 family,” explained Pratikno.

In this new concept, President Prabowo also broadened the orientation of education so that it is not only focus on science and technology but also includes art and sport. “Integrated school in each district will consist of elementary school, junior high school, high school, and vocational school and equipped with complete facilities such as laboratories, sport facilities, vocational workshops, and so on. So not merely focus on science, technology, and math but the President also emphasized art and sport,” said Pratikno.

Pratikno further explained, majority of integrated school will not be built from scratch, instead they will be transformed from existing schools. This pattern followed the model of Garuda School which is already implemented by the Government.

“There will be two scheme, but the majority will be to transform existing school, following the pattern of Garuda School. In the Garuda School program, not all Garuda Schools are newly built, some are transformation of existing school. This scheme will also be implemented in integrated school program,” concluded Pratikno. (Bureau of Press, Media, and Information of the Presidential Secretariat) (TCUD/LW)