Jakarta, June 20 -- Legislator Abdul Fikri Faqih is optimistic that the establishment of the Sekolah Rakyat free school program could serve as a solution for Indonesia in tackling poverty and extreme poverty.

According to him, Sekolah Rakyat targets students from poor and extremely poor families and is organized differently from regular formal education.

"This model has already proven successful. Children from underprivileged families can attend school for free; some even go on to study abroad or find employment," he said in the ministry's statement here on Friday.

He explained that the Sekolah Rakyat curriculum focuses on entrepreneurship, leadership, spiritual foundation, and nationalism, which model was inspired by the success stori...