PONTIANAK, thekabarnews.com—Pontianak Mayor Edi Rusdi Kamtono inspected the city’s new Sekolah Rakyat campus. He also opened its school orientation program for 270 primary, junior high and senior high students on Thursday, July 30.

The boarding school stands on Flora Street in Batu Layang subdistrict, North Pontianak, West Kalimantan. The Pontianak administration prepared a 5.1-hectare site for the centrally funded program. The program aims to provide free, quality education to children from low-income and impoverished families.

“Yesterday, I directly inspected the Sekolah Rakyat facilities on Flora Street in North Pontianak and opened the school orientation program for 270 students from primary, junior high and senior high levels,” Edi said.

Edi toured the classrooms, dormitories and supporting facilities to assess whether the campus could provide a suitable learning and residential environment. He said contractors were still completing several parts of the complex.

“Several improvements are still underway. I hope all facilities will be completed soon so the children can study and live in a safe, comfortable and proper environment,” he said.

Pontianak’s Sekolah Rakyat campus includes classrooms, dormitories, a kitchen, bedrooms, laboratories and vocational activity spaces.

The government designed the school to combine formal education with character development, basic literacy, extracurricular activities and skills training.

The city government previously said the state would cover the students’ educational and residential needs. Through the Social Affairs Ministry, the program also plans to assist their parents with vocational training, productive business development and access to capital. This information is according to the Pontianak Sekolah Rakyat development plan.

“Sekolah Rakyat provides greater opportunities for Pontianak’s children. We hope they will grow into a generation with strong character and outstanding achievements. These children will be capable of changing their families’ future,” Edi added.

President Prabowo Subianto’s administration introduced Sekolah Rakyat as a residential education program designed to help break intergenerational poverty.

The government selects students primarily from the two lowest socioeconomic groups in Indonesia’s Single National Social and Economic Data (DTSEN).

In January 2026, the government reported that 166 Sekolah Rakyat campuses across 34 provinces and 131 regencies and cities served 15,954 students.

According to the State Secretariat, the government aims to establish 500 schools by 2029. Each school will eventually accommodate about 1,000 students.

The government later expanded the program to 182 locations for the 2026–2027 academic year. Total enrollment is expected to exceed 43,000 students nationwide, as reported by the National Program Update.

The Social Affairs Ministry is conducting orientation in four stages, with each group following a 19-day child-friendly program.

Officials said they based the schedule on infrastructure readiness, student safety and access to essential utilities such as clean water, electricity and sanitation. This information is according to the Sekolah Rakyat orientation policy.

Pontianak officials have not announced a deadline for completing the remaining construction work. The quality and timely completion of the school’s residential facilities will remain central. This will ensure that all 270 students can learn and live safely on campus.