BLITAR – Blitar city administration continues accelerating construction of the School Rakyat project in Kauman Village, Kepanjenkidul District, while uncertainty still surrounds student and teacher recruitment ahead of its planned July 2026 opening.
Workers are currently racing to complete the physical construction of the boarding school, which forms part of Indonesia’s national strategic projects program. Local officials target the building to finish by June so the school can begin operations in the new academic year.
However, the Blitar administration admitted it still has not received official technical instructions from the central government regarding recruitment procedures for students and teaching staff.
Acting Regional Secretary of Blitar City, Tri Iman Prasetyono, said local authorities continue waiting for implementation guidelines from the Ministry of Social Affairs.
“Although there are national discussions about regions preparing students and teachers, we still have not received official regulations or technical instructions,” Tri Iman said.
He explained that uncertainty remains over whether the government will recruit new teachers or assign educators already working in Blitar City schools.
“We still do not know whether teachers will come from existing schools in Blitar or through a new recruitment process. We are waiting for instructions from the central government,” he added.
Despite the recruitment uncertainty, construction progress continues moving forward. According to reports from the local social affairs office and project contractors, physical development has nearly reached 50 percent completion.
Authorities continue accelerating the project because the national government expects construction work to finish in June 2026.
“Based on reports from the social affairs office and contractors, construction progress is approaching 50 percent. Nationally, the project must finish in June and start operating in July,” Tri Iman explained.
He also stressed that the entire project budget and operational system come directly from Indonesia’s state budget. The Blitar city administration mainly acts as a supporting partner and monitors implementation on behalf of the central government.
“We are only the beneficiary. The funding and regulations all come from the central government,” he said.
Earlier this month, Blitar Mayor Syauqul Muhibbin visited the construction site to ensure the program continued according to schedule.
The School Rakyat project is part of President Prabowo Subianto’s national education initiative. The boarding school aims to provide international-standard education for children from low-income families.
Once completed, the school will accommodate up to 1,080 students from elementary to senior high school levels. Officials plan to accept around 270 students during the first enrollment phase.
The Blitar administration expects the facility to begin operating during the new academic year around July or August 2026.