Sekretaris Kabinet Teddy Indra Wijaya mengunjungi Sekolah Rakyat Terintegrasi di Cikarang, Kabupaten Bekasi, Jawa Barat. (Foto: Humas Setkab)
BEKASI — Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya made a surprise visit to Integrated People’s School (Sekolah Rakyat Terintegrasi, SRT) 1 in Bekasi Regency, located in Cikarang, West Java, at around 8:50 p.m. The visit was unannounced and came right after Teddy accompanied President Prabowo Subianto at a meeting in Hambalang, Bogor.
“I deliberately came without prior notice, because I wanted to see the children’s daily life for myself.”
Teddy Indra Wijaya, Cabinet Secretary
Singing Together in the Dorm
Accompanied by Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf (Gus Ipul), Teddy visited the senior high school boys’ dormitory and inspected several school facilities. The students welcomed him by singing together, performing the songs “Ku Tak Bisa” and “Laskar Pelangi”, and Teddy joined in.
Teddy also brought a message and gifts from the President. “Warm regards, love, and encouragement from the President, Mr. Prabowo. There are some small gifts from the President: bags and T-shirts. Please wear and use them,” he said. He urged the students to stay cheerful and to comfort friends who are feeling down. “The main thing here is to be happy,” he said.
Teddy said he was moved by the school’s new, fully equipped building and by the dedication of the principal, teachers, and dormitory supervisors. He also chatted with students, including Al Tariq, who lost both parents at the age of three. Al Tariq can now study again and dreams of becoming one of Indonesia’s best specialist doctors.
265 Schools, 45,000 Children
People’s Schools (Sekolah Rakyat) are free boarding schools for children from poor families, one of President Prabowo’s priority programs to break the cycle of poverty through education. According to Teddy, progress has been significant.
“As of October 2026, 265 People’s Schools have been completed across 131 regencies and cities throughout Indonesia. More than 45,000 street children now have the chance to return to school.”
Teddy Indra Wijaya, Cabinet Secretary
Students receive not only education but also decent housing, learning and sports facilities, nutritious meals, and health services. “I hope all Indonesian children, without exception, can achieve their dreams,” Teddy said.
Observer: A Form of Direct Oversight
Political observer Hendri Satrio, founder of the KedaiKOPI survey institute, said the night visit without ceremony was an effective form of oversight to make sure the President’s priority programs are really working on the ground. “That’s how someone who wants to see for himself whether Prabowo’s programs are working operates. He’s not satisfied just reading reports,” he said.
Even so, Hendri cautioned that oversight should not rely solely on visits from the Cabinet Secretariat. He urged the Ministry of Social Affairs to strengthen internal controls across all People’s Schools, and the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to closely monitor the quality of classroom learning.
Summarized from Cabinet Secretariat, presidenri.go.id, Warta Kota, and Media Indonesia (in Indonesian).
