Press Statement of President of the Republic of Indonesia after the Inspection to SMK Negeri 5 Padang, at Padang City, West Sumatra Province, October 25, 2023

President of the Republic of Indonesia (Joko Widodo):

Whenever I visit a province, I always take a look at one or two schools, primarily state vocational schools (SMK), because that’s where skills, real skills, are actually developed. Like here, at SMK 5 Padang, I can see there are several majors, including automotive, construction, and electronics, and I see that the facilities for their practical training are quite good. Also, I asked earlier, and it turns out that the students are given the opportunity to hone their skills up to four times, which I think is very good.

Journalist:

Do you have any further suggestions for the future based on what you’ve seen today, sir?

President of the Republic of Indonesia (Joko Widodo):

Yes, what I saw earlier is that perhaps the workshops and training facilities for the students are still lacking, and the school principal mentioned that it’s still insufficient. We will assist in expanding the training workshops. I believe that’s the most important thing, improving the skills of the students, both in the automotive and motorcycle-related areas, also as I saw earlier, in electronics. Furthermore, the practical work in construction, such as installing ceramic tiles, looked good as well. I think such skills are highly needed nowadays.

(AS/MMB)