Jakarta (VNA) – The Indonesian government has officially begun implementing President Prabowo Subianto’s nationwide school renovation programme, aiming to upgrade more than 10,000 schools across the country in 2025.
The initiative is backed by a 16.9 trillion IDR (approximately 1.02 billion USD) budget and seeks to address widespread infrastructure deterioration in the national education system.
According to the Statistics Indonesia (BPS), many school buildings, particularly primary schools, are in varying states of disrepair. Only 40% of primary school classrooms are in good condition, with nearly 49% moderately damaged and over 10% severely damaged.
This situation is similarly concerning in junior secondary schools, where nearly half of all classrooms are damaged, including 42.1% moderately and 6.63% severely. Vocational and senior high schools report degradation rates of 35% and 38%, respectively.
Speaking on National Education Day (May 2), President Prabowo stated that the 2025 target of renovating 10,440 schools is just a fraction of the actual need. He acknowledged that it could take up to 30 years to repair all schools nationwide, urging for rapid and widespread implementation.
On the same day, Minister of Indonesian Primary and Secondary Education Abdul Mu'ti launched the first renovation project at SD 3 Leuwibatu Elementary School in Bogor.
Observers note that the government’s decisive approach marks a significant shift after years of ineffective renovation efforts and offers hope for long-term improvements in Indonesia’s educational infrastructure./.
