Bogor – President Prabowo Subianto reaffirmed his commitment to accelerating the improvement of school infrastructure across Indonesia. Speaking during the National Education Day commemoration at SDN Cimahpar 5 in Bogor City on Thursday (May 2), Prabowo emphasized that national education development must begin with proper basic facilities.

“How can a school function with only one toilet? The reality is, if we’re being honest, the budget is there,” said Prabowo in front of central and local government officials, as well as students.

The President revealed that nearly IDR 17 trillion has been allocated for school renovation efforts, but the funds are only sufficient to repair approximately 11,000 schools. This is a small fraction of Indonesia’s more than 330,000 educational institutions.

“I’ve allocated what I consider to be a significant amount for school repairs, but it’s still not enough. Nearly IDR 17 trillion is now available, but that may only cover improvements for around 11,000 out of the 330,000 schools across the country,” he explained.

He stressed the need for sound and efficient budget management to ensure that such a large amount of funding truly benefits the people.

“If we implement good governance—management that uses common sense—and ensure that every rupiah is truly used for the people, then I believe we can renovate every school in Indonesia. That is our goal,” Prabowo declared.

The President also issued a stern reminder to prevent budget leakage within the bureaucracy. He called on local governments—from regents to governors—to take full responsibility for overseeing and executing the budget effectively.

“I continuously urge government officials and bureaucrats to do their best for the people. Public officials are appointed, funded, and paid by the state. Therefore, the budget meant for the people and public services must not be misused or corrupted in any way,” he emphasized.