Govt seeks to introduce migrant worker topics in free school program

hartono · Nov 3, 2025

P2MI Minister Mukhtarudin (right) and Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf (left) in a press conference after a meeting in Jakarta on Monday (November 3, 2025). ANTARA/M Riezko Bima Elko Prasetyo

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Indonesian Migrant Workers' Protection (P2MI) is collaborating with the Ministry of Social Affairs to integrate learning materials related to migrant workers into the government's tuition-free school program Sekolah Rakyat (People's Schools).

In a press conference here on Monday, P2MI Minister Mukhtarudin noted that the collaboration with the Ministry of Social Affairs is a strategic step to ensure education on the rights, responsibilities, and protection of migrant workers can be given to the community early.

"We want Sekolah Rakyat to include materials related to migrant worker issues, particularly for those who are interested in becoming Indonesian migrant workers," he remarked.

Mukhtarudin explained that this step aligns with President Prabowo Subianto's directive for his ministry to not only focus on migrant worker protection but also on enhancing human resource capacity through vocational education.

He expressed optimism that the integration of migrant worker topics will strengthen the national job creation system, which is coordinated across all state agencies, including in the education, social affairs, and labor sectors.

"With a system that is integrated from the start, we hope that the public will be equipped before becoming migrant workers," he stated.

Mukhtarudin added that the detailed implementation of the program, including the curriculum and the selection of the Sekolah Rakyat schools for the pilot project, will be discussed further with the Ministry of Social Affairs.

The Sekolah Rakyat program, which targets children from poor and extremely poor families, aims to break the cycle of poverty in Indonesia, in line with Presidential Instruction Number 8 of 2025 on the Optimization of Poverty Alleviation and Extreme Poverty Eradication.

Currently, there are 166 Sekolah Rakyat schools operating in the country, encompassing elementary, junior high, and senior high school levels.