Twenty-four Social Welfare students from UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta stepped beyond the classroom on Friday to get a closer look at some of Indonesia’s evolving social protection initiatives, from a new national socioeconomic database and the Sekolah Rakyat program to digital access to social assistance and the growing challenge of online misinformation.

The students, accompanied by Muhammad Izzul Haq, PhD, Head of the Social Welfare Study Program, attended a dissemination program held on Aug. 7, 2026, at the Center for Social Welfare Education and Training (BBPPKS) Yogyakarta in Purwomartani, Kalasan, Sleman. The event focused on the National Unified Socioeconomic Data (DTSEN), Sekolah Rakyat, the Cek Bansos application, and strategies for detecting and countering hoaxes and disinformation.

The delegation represented the Social Welfare Study Program at the Faculty of Da'wah and Communication, UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, and included students from the Social Welfare Student Association (HMPS IKS) and the Laboratory for Social Work Professional Development (LP3S). The Ministry of Social Affairs had invited the program to send one faculty member and 24 students as active participants.

During the visit, the delegation also engaged with officials and staff at BBPPKS Yogyakarta, led by its head, Haruman Hendarsah.

The daylong program offered students a window into how social welfare policies are translated into programs and public services. Sessions began with an introduction to the services and facilities of BBPPKS Yogyakarta, followed by a discussion of DTSEN and the Cek Bansos application, including hands-on guidance on creating an account. Participants later attended sessions on the Sekolah Rakyat program and on preventing hoaxes and disinformation, the latter delivered by Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs.

For social welfare students, the discussion of DTSEN was particularly relevant. Reliable social data lies at the heart of social policy: it helps determine who needs assistance, where resources should be directed and how social protection programs can more effectively reach vulnerable populations.

The Cek Bansos application offered another practical dimension. By introducing students to a digital platform connecting citizens with information about social assistance, the session illustrated how technology is increasingly shaping the relationship between government services and the people they are intended to serve.

The discussion of Sekolah Rakyat, meanwhile, brought students closer to a major government initiative aimed at expanding educational opportunities for children from poor and vulnerable families. For students of social welfare, the program intersects with several areas central to their field — poverty reduction, social protection, child and family welfare, educational inclusion and social work practice in school settings.

Digital literacy formed another important part of the program. A session led by the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs explored how to recognize and prevent hoaxes and disinformation. Such skills are increasingly relevant to future social workers, particularly as inaccurate information about government assistance and public programs can create confusion, undermine trust and, in some cases, affect people’s ability to access services.

The program concluded with a visit to BBPPKS services and Sekolah Rakyat, giving participants an opportunity to see more closely the institutions and programs they had discussed throughout the day.

For the Social Welfare Study Program, the visit was also part of a broader effort to connect academic learning with the rapidly changing landscape of social welfare policy and practice in Indonesia. By involving students from both HMPS IKS and LP3S, the program hopes that the knowledge gained from the visit will travel beyond those who attended, contributing to wider discussion and professional development among Social Welfare students at UIN Sunan Kalijaga.

Ultimately, the visit offered students something difficult to reproduce in a classroom: a firsthand view of how data, technology, education and public communication are increasingly intertwined in the delivery of social welfare in Indonesia.