Ministry, KPAI team up to bolster child protection at Sekolah Rakyat

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Social Affairs is collaborating with the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) to strengthen child protection, supervision, and care systems within the government's tuition-free boarding schools, Sekolah Rakyat (People's School).

Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf said after a meeting with KPAI leadership in Jakarta on Thursday that his ministry welcomes the commission's strategic recommendations to ensure priority programs reach their intended targets.

"We also appreciate KPAI’s ongoing support, especially in carrying out the president's strategic program, Sekolah Rakyat," Yusuf said.

He emphasized that KPAI's involvement is critical to the success of Sekolah Rakyat in mentoring and shaping the character of students from poor and extremely poor households.

He added that because Sekolah Rakyat operates as a new boarding school system, child care, protection, and rights require strict, continuous oversight.

"All recommendations from KPAI will be followed up in phases through various supporting instruments within the ministry," Yusuf said.

He noted that the ministry seeks to prevent any repeat of alleged violence against students, referencing a recent incident at Integrated Sekolah Rakyat 1 in Jember District, East Java, involving interning cadets from the Indonesian Defense University (Unhan).

Meanwhile, KPAI Chairperson Aris Adi Leksono explained that the coordination covered monitoring results for Sekolah Rakyat, which aims to break intergenerational poverty for underprivileged families.

Based on its findings, KPAI issued several key recommendations, including the need to strengthen the institutional framework of Sekolah Rakyat to ensure the schools can be formally integrated into the national education system, leveraging the ongoing revision of the National Education System Law as momentum.

The commission also emphasized the importance of a strict child safeguarding system, given the vulnerability of children from diverse backgrounds living in a boarding school environment.

"The ministry and KPAI agreed to establish joint oversight and formulate an integrated grievance mechanism alongside guidelines that mainstream child protection," Leksono said.

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Translator: M Riezko, Raka Adji
Editor: Arie Novarina
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