Jakarta, April 21 -- Indonesian Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf has announced the government's goal to eradicate extreme poverty by 2026 and reduce the national poverty rate to below 5% by 2029.

Currently, the country's national poverty rate stands at an average of 8.57%. The provinces with the highest numbers of people living in poverty are East Java, Central Java, and West Java, the minister said.

To tackle the issue, the central government is implementing a range of poverty reduction initiatives, including the People's School programme. This scheme aims to expand equal access to education across all regions, with the expectation that improved educational opportunities will significantly contribute to lowering poverty level...