People’s School in Dukuh Semar: Opportunis and Challenges for Surrounding Elementary Schools and Islamic Elementary Schools

People’s School in Dukuh Semar: Opportunities and Challenges for Surrounding Elementary Schools and Islamic Elementary Schools

By: AbahRoy
Chairman of DPC Aswin, Cirebon City

The Cirebon City Government is currently rolling out the idea of ​​establishing a People’s School in the Dukuh Semar area, precisely in the Harjamukti Flats.

This program is a national initiative carried by President Prabowo Subianto, with the aim of providing access to free education and boarding facilities for children from extremely poor families.

This plan was certainly welcomed enthusiastically by the community, considering that there are still many families who have difficulty accessing decent education due to economic limitations. People’s Schools are present not only as a place to study, but also a place to live, with complete facilities provided by the state.

The levels are also not half-hearted, covering elementary to secondary education.

However, behind this optimism, an important question arises: what impact will the presence of this People’s School have on elementary schools that have long been present in the area, especially Elementary Schools and Islamic Elementary Schools (MI)?

Real Challenges for Elementary Schools and Islamic Elementary Schools

The presence of Elementary Schools in densely populated areas such as Harjamukti clearly brings challenges for schools that already exist.

Complete facilities and free education costs can be a strong magnet for the community, especially for parents from the lower middle class.

Elementary Schools and Islamic Elementary Schools, including Islamic boarding school-based educational institutions such as MI Madinatunnajah, and other Islamic Elementary Schools located in the Harjamukti District area, have the potential to experience a decrease in the number of applicants if they do not take anticipatory steps.

Strategically, Elementary Schools can change the map of people’s choices for educational institutions.

In the zoning system that applies to state schools, Islamic Elementary Schools under the Ministry of Religion are indeed more flexible.

But that flexibility is now being tested with the presence of new alternatives that also offer convenience and superior facilities.

Opportunities to Rise and Improve

Although it is a challenge, the presence of Elementary Schools can also be a momentum for revival for Elementary Schools and Islamic Elementary Schools. These educational institutions can highlight their distinctive advantages, especially in terms of character building, religious values, and emotional closeness between teachers and students.

MI Madinatunnajah, for example, has a strong pesantren base and a habit of noble morals that are not easily found in other schools.

In addition, this is the right time for SD and MI to strengthen collaboration with the community and improve the quality of teaching, institutional management, and learning facilities.

Community-based schools that are able to maintain parental trust will survive even in the midst of tight competition.

Conclusion

The discourse on the development of the People’s School in Dukuh Semar is a reflection of the government’s good intentions in resolving the problem of educational inequality.

However, its success should not be a threat to institutions that have been established earlier.

Instead, this must be a trigger for the entire education ecosystem in Cirebon to continue to grow together.

Because in the end, education is not just a place to seek knowledge, but a space for the formation of a whole person—who is intellectually intelligent, emotionally mature, and spiritually strong.

Cirebon City, 04/17/2025

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