By Kodrat Pramudho, Lecturer at Universitas Indonesia Maju
Every year on May 2nd, we commemorate National Education Day in Indonesia. Ideally, it should be more than just ceremonial speeches and flag-raising—it should be a moment of reflection. Where is our education system actually going? Ki Hadjar Dewantara, the father of Indonesian education, once said, “Education is about guiding all the natural strengths within children, so they can achieve safety and happiness, both as individuals and members of society.”
But are we truly guiding our children toward that ideal?
Year after year, the same issues resurface: unequal access to education, a shortage of quality teachers, and graduates who aren’t ready for the real world. National Education Day often comes and goes with little more than formalities. And once the ceremony ends? Everything goes back to business as usual.
Inequality in Access and Quality
Although the government has mandated 13 years of compulsory education through high school or vocational school, the reality on the ground tells a different story. In urban areas, students enjoy modern facilities and high-speed internet. But in remote regions—those classified as 3T (Disadvantaged, Frontier, and Outermost)—many schools still lack basic infrastructure and qualified teachers.
A mother in East Nusa Tenggara put it plainly: “We want our children to go to school, but the nearest one is far, and there’s no signal for online learning.”
Curriculum and Learning Methods
Our current curriculum remains overloaded and often lacks relevance to real life. Students are still bombarded with rote memorization instead of being encouraged to think critically.
A teacher in Semarang shared, “I want to engage my students in discussion and experiments, but everything still revolves around grades and exams.” Education expert Prof. Dr. Arief Rachman once said, “Curricula should be flexible and evolve with the times—not just stuff students with content that may have no bearing on their future.”
Teacher Welfare and Competency
Teachers are the backbone of education, yet they’re often overlooked. As of 2022, Indonesia had 704,503 honorary (non-permanent) teachers. The government plans to appoint 176,000 of them as civil servants under the PPPK scheme by 2025—but we still face a shortage of 419,000 teachers.
Starting in 2025, the government will provide a monthly professional allowance of IDR 2 million for honorary teachers who complete their Teacher Professional Education (PPG). It’s a step forward, but still far from solving the bigger structural challenges.
Literacy and Numeracy
The 2024 National Assessment showed an improvement in student literacy, from 59.49% to 70.03%, and in numeracy from 45.24% to 67.94%. While this progress is encouraging, it still means that nearly 30% of students haven’t met the minimum competency threshold.
