JAKARTA, BALINEWS — The Indonesian government has begun refining a nationwide free education scheme through a special task force tasked with strengthening national education policy, with a focus on expanding access while ensuring sustainable and equitable funding.
Progress by the Special Task Force for Strengthening National Education Policy was discussed at a ministerial-level meeting at the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Cultural Affairs (Kemenko PMK) in Jakarta on Wednesday (Sept. 30, 2026).
Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Cultural Affairs Pratikno said the task force had begun working and had presented short-, medium- and long-term work plans.
The task force was established following President Prabowo Subianto’s direction at a limited Cabinet meeting on Sept. 23. It is tasked with strengthening the implementation of 13 years of compulsory education, improving education quality and expanding more inclusive access from basic education through higher education.
“Following up on the Constitutional Court’s mandate and the President’s direction, we are continuing to refine the next action plan,” Pratikno said.
The minister emphasized the importance of an affirmative approach in designing education policies. Efforts to expand access will prioritize low-income communities and disadvantaged regions where education participation rates still need to be raised to reach the national average.
The government is also preparing a measurable and equitable financing framework to ensure that the policy can be implemented sustainably.
One of the key measures involves aligning the fiscal capacity of the central and regional governments while strengthening fundamental aspects of education governance.
The government plans to improve the matching of data on education assistance recipients and map national requirements for teachers and other education personnel.
“The Special Task Force has been designed to focus in the short term on optimizing and reallocating existing budget allocations for 2027, while its medium- and long-term agenda includes evaluating the financing scheme and preparing a comprehensive grand design for strengthening national education governance,” Pratikno said.
The free education initiative is not limited to expanding access. The government also intends to ensure that greater access is accompanied by improvements in the quality of education services.
Kemenko PMK said the approach is intended to ensure that expanded access to education goes hand in hand with better service quality and more effective use of public funds.
The meeting was also attended by Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Abdul Mu’ti, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology Brian Yuliarto, Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar, Minister of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Rini Widyantini, Statistics Indonesia (BPS) Chief Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti, Deputy Finance Minister Juda Agung, Deputy Home Affairs Minister Bima Arya, and Deputy for Human Development and Cultural Affairs at the National Development Planning Ministry (Bappenas), Pungkas Bahjuri Ali.
