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Gibran urges schools minister to scrap zoning system, introduce coding
Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka said on Nov. 21 that he requested that the schools minister eliminate the zoning system for the upcoming public school enrollment (PPDB) because of multiple concerns.
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Protesters carry posters reading “Rigged government posts on top, rigged school admissions on the bottom“ (Di Atas Jual Beli Jabatan, Di Bawah Jual Beli Kursi Sekolah) on July 7, 2024, to protest against corruption and illegal levies on school enrollment during a Car Free Day (CFD) in Jakarta. (Antara/Asprilla Dwi Adha)
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ice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka said on Thursday that he requested Elementary and Secondary Education Minister Abdul Mu'ti to eliminate the zoning system in the public school enrollment (PPDB) process.
This is the second time Gibran has made this statement, after expressing it during a briefing at the coordination meeting on the evaluation of education policies for primary and secondary education on Nov. 11.
"I clearly told the schools minister, 'Pak, the zoning system must be abolished’,” Gibran said in a speech at the opening of Pemuda Muhammadiyah’s meeting at the Aryaduta Hotel in Jakarta, as quoted by liputan6.com.
Pemuda Muhammadiyah is the youth wing of Muhammadiyah, the second largest Muslim organization in Indonesia.
Gibran said that the 2045 Golden Indonesia vision lies in the education of young people. To improve the education system, the former Surakarta mayor also advised Mu’ti to include coding and artificial intelligence modules in the curriculum so that Indonesia does not fall behind other countries.
"It is very important to teach our children from a young age the importance of coding, programming and digital marketing," Gibran said.
Gibran highlighted that under the zoning system, there is an uneven distribution of teachers across schools in various provinces of Indonesia.
However, he acknowledged that the zoning system for PPDB was a good program.
Following the vice president's statement, the schools minister responded that a decision regarding the zoning system would be made ahead of the new academic year in July 2025. The ministry is still conducting a review based on the feedback received.
"Hopefully, by the new academic year, we will decide whether we will continue with the zoning system or perhaps conduct an evaluation," Abdul said on Nov. 12, as quoted by Tempo.
Previously, the 2024 PPDB implementation was marked by several issues and irregularities. Most of the problems were related to the zoning system, which had the largest acceptance quota.
Ubaid Matraji, the Indonesian Education Monitoring Network’s (JPPI) national coordinator, revealed that his organization had received 162 reports of PPDB issues as of late June. One report highlighted that around one in five families manipulated their family cards for the zoning system.
