Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto announced the distribution of 288,000 smart TVs to schools in remote areas across the country this year. This move is expected to allow children to attend virtual classes with their teachers.
"We will distribute them to schools, even in the most remote regions," said Prabowo during his state address at the Annual Session of the People's Consultative Assembly at the Nusantara Building, Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, on Friday, August 15, 2025.
Additionally, the head of state mentioned that 100 Sekolah Rakyat (people's schools) have been established to break the cycle of absolute poverty. He hopes to have 200 Sekolah Rakyat this year. "Next year it will be 300, and so on," he said.
Sekolah Rakyat is intended for children in the 1st and 2nd decile categories whose parents have extremely low incomes. The 1st and 2nd deciles are classifications in the Integrated Social Welfare Data (DTKS) used to measure household welfare levels.
According to Prabowo, Sekolah Rakyat are aimed at improving the quality of children's education, hence the boarding school system implemented for them.
The former Minister of Defense also mentioned that the government is establishing top schools to strengthen science and technology in Indonesia. There are plans for 20 Garuda schools, and then there will be 80 Garuda transformation schools involving existing schools.
Furthermore, Prabowo mentioned that he will expand the Taruna Nusantara Schools throughout Indonesia. He also plans to increase the number of medical faculties in Indonesia. "Indonesia is lagging behind in producing doctors and dentists," he said.
Prabowo stated that the government will also renovate 13,000 schools and 1,400 madrasahs (Islamic schools) this year. He mentioned that he will seek funding to achieve these goals.
In July 2025, Prabowo also hinted at creating a smart class program. This program aims to connect students with teachers who teach online and broadcast on television in schools.
According to him, this learning model can help schools that still struggle to find teachers with specific expertise. At that time, Prabowo mentioned that the installation of the smart TVs will begin in July. It is expected that by mid-2026, all schools in Indonesia will have received smart TVs.