inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. The Ministry of Social Affairs stated that the Community School Program is a concrete manifestation of the state's affirmation to reach the unreachable groups whose access to education has been hampered by family socio-economic factors.

Andy Kurniawan, Expert Staff to the Minister of Social Affairs for Strategic Policy Planning and Evaluation, stated that these vulnerable groups are now being accommodated through an integrated education ecosystem based on the National Socio-Economic Data (DTSEN).

"Community School is not a stand-alone program. It is a form of state affirmation integrated with various related agencies, including state schools and Garuda Schools," said Andy on Thursday (6/25/2026).

He outlined three key principles that underpin this program: honoring the common people, reaching those previously unreached by development, and making the impossible possible by eradicating the stigma of poverty so that students can compete.

The Ministry of Social Affairs' expansion roadmap targets the construction of 100 new schools annually in various regions, reaching a total of 500 by 2029.

To ensure educational equity, he continued, this program also integrates aspects of economic empowerment of students' families through the distribution of social assistance and the management of the Merah Putih Village/Sub-district Cooperative, ensuring that beneficiary children and their parents can escape poverty.

"The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education develops the curriculum, the Ministry of Public Works builds the facilities, while local governments provide the land. All work within a unified educational ecosystem, alongside public schools and Garuda Schools, to achieve the 4th Asta Cita target," said Expert Andy.

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