Minister Gus Ipul to Request Prabowo’s Support for Poltekesos Second Campus Development

BANDUNG (25 September 2024) - Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf has announced plans to report to President-elect Prabowo Subianto regarding the development of a second campus for the Polytechnic of Social Welfare (Poltekesos) Bandung. The Ministry of Social Affairs is currently planning the expansion of Poltekesos on a 14.9-hectare site in Soreang, Bandung Regency.

The minister, commonly known as Gus Ipul, emphasized the need for Poltekesos' expansion due to the increasingly complex social challenges in the future, which demand a greater number of social workers.

“This institution is continuously improving. There is now a plan to build a second campus to accommodate more students,” Gus Ipul said following the graduation ceremony for the Applied Master’s and Applied Bachelor’s programs at Poltekesos Bandung, held at the Sasana Budaya Ganesha (SABUGA) Auditorium, ITB Bandung, on Wednesday (25/9/2024).

Poltekesos Bandung is a state-affiliated higher education institution under the Ministry of Social Affairs and is home to Indonesia’s oldest social work program. It was established in 1964 as the Social Welfare College (Sekolah Tinggi Kesejahteraan Sosial or STKS), it was renamed Poltekesos in 2019 and has since produced tens of thousands of social workers serving vulnerable groups in both governmental and non-governmental organizations.

Currently, Poltekesos Bandung has 2,202 students enrolled across four study programs: Applied Social Work (Undergraduate), Social Protection and Empowerment (Undergraduate), Social Rehabilitation (Undergraduate), and Applied Social Work (Master’s).

With the campus expansion, Poltekesos plans to introduce new study programs, including Social Counseling, Social Entrepreneurship, a Doctoral Program in Applied Social Work, and a Professional Social Work Program.