During President Prabowo Subianto's administration, education has been positioned not merely as a matter of schooling but as a comprehensive strategy for human resource development. Challenges such as deteriorating school infrastructure, unequal access to education, teacher quality, digital literacy, child nutrition, school violence, and the mismatch between graduates' competencies and labor market needs require integrated, long-term policy solutions.

Insights from the 2026 National Dialogue of the Indonesian Science, Technology, and Industry Convention (KSTI) indicate that Indonesia's educational challenges extend beyond school enrollment to encompass the overall quality of the learning environment experienced by students. Disparities in educational facilities, particularly in disadvantaged, frontier, outermost, underdeveloped, and disaster-affected regions, demonstrate that educational equity remains one of the nation's strategic priorities.

Policies such as school revitalization, expanded educational assistance through the Indonesia Smart Program (PIP) and KIP Kuliah, as well as the development of Sekolah Rakyat (People's Schools), represent important efforts to ensure that education is not only accessible but also equitable, high-quality, and supportive of vulnerable communities.

Improving educational quality cannot be separated from students' physical, psychological, and social well-being. The Free Nutritious Meal Program serves as a crucial intervention because children's readiness to learn is closely linked to their nutritional status and overall health.

Quality education also requires schools that provide emotionally safe environments free from bullying, hazing, violence, and other harmful practices. Initiatives such as Student Orientation with a Child-Friendly Approach (MPLS Ramah), regulations prohibiting violence in schools, and strengthening the capacity of school counselors in mental health literacy and Psychological First Aid demonstrate a growing recognition that schools should function not only as places of academic instruction but also as environments that protect and nurture children's development.

Higher education faces significant challenges in ensuring equitable access and cultivating exceptional talent. Financial barriers that prevent students from low-income families from pursuing higher education should be addressed through stronger support for KIP Kuliah, scholarship programs, and postgraduate funding initiatives such as the Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP).

The establishment of Garuda Schools and Garuda Transformation Schools is viewed as a strategic initiative to provide high-achieving students from various regions with systematic academic development and greater opportunities to compete globally. These policies are important to ensure that human capital development is not concentrated among specific socioeconomic groups.

As outlined in the book Solusi Presiden Prabowo Subianto: Presiden Solusi, the direction of education policy under President Prabowo reflects a shift from viewing education as an administrative routine toward recognizing it as an instrument for human development, social justice, and national resilience. Programs promoting quality school infrastructure, educational assistance, improved nutrition, safe schools, stronger mental health support, inclusive higher education, and talent development form the foundation for creating a generation that is healthy, intelligent, productive, and possesses strong character.

The primary challenge moving forward lies in ensuring that these initiatives are implemented effectively, guided by reliable data, evaluated through measurable outcomes, and genuinely benefit students, teachers, families, and communities, particularly in regions that continue to experience limited access to quality education.

The current education strategy seeks to transform education from a routine institutional process into a powerful instrument for human development, social justice, and national resilience. Initiatives including improved school facilities, educational assistance, digital transformation, teacher quality enhancement, the Free Nutritious Meal Program, safe schools, inclusive education, Garuda Schools, and strengthened vocational education represent important steps toward achieving this vision. Their success should ultimately be measured by accurate targeting, equitable distribution of benefits, and meaningful improvements experienced by students, educators, and communities throughout Indonesia.

From an academic perspective, educational challenges in Indonesia extend beyond infrastructure, curriculum design, and educational technology. They also involve students' mental preparedness, character development, and psychosocial resilience. Children who attend school while experiencing hunger, anxiety, bullying, or socioeconomic hardship cannot fully benefit from the learning process.

Educational policies that address nutrition, equitable access, mental health, and child protection therefore constitute essential investments in developing healthy, resilient, and productive human resources. Government initiatives introduced during President Prabowo's administration—including the Free Nutritious Meal Program, school revitalization, digital learning, Sekolah Rakyat, teacher welfare improvements, and strengthened inclusive education—can be viewed as strategic responses to the country's most fundamental educational challenges.

These programs acknowledge that education cannot be separated from health, family economic conditions, teacher quality, and supportive learning environments. Their effectiveness will depend on high-quality implementation, accurate targeting, transparent oversight, and equitable distribution of benefits, particularly for remote communities and vulnerable populations.

From a long-term development perspective, Indonesia's education system must aim not only to produce academically accomplished graduates but also individuals who are psychologically healthy, possess strong character, are adaptable, and are capable of responding to the challenges of an evolving world. Schools should become safe, humane, inclusive, and fulfilling environments rather than merely places for knowledge transfer or academic pressure.

Strong collaboration among the government, educational institutions, families, communities, and mental health professionals will be essential to ensuring that education truly becomes a strategic foundation for achieving the vision of Golden Indonesia 2045.

Written by:

Prof. Dr. dr. Elmeida Effendy, M.Ked., Sp.KJ., Subsp.B.P(K)
Professor, Faculty of Medicine
Universitas Sumatera Utara

Based on insights from the 2026 National Dialogue of the Indonesian Science, Technology, and Industry Convention (KSTI).