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View all search resultsNew teacher-to-principal training program gets cautious welcome
Amid the nationwide shortage of 50,000 principals for state schools, the Elementary and Secondary Education Ministry has introduced a new training program for teachers to fast-track their career advancement into school principals.
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A contract teacher teaches a classroom at the SD Proyonanggan 01 state elementary school in Batang regency, Central Java, on June 3, 2025. (Antara/Harviyan Perdana Putra)
T
eacher associations have welcomed a new government initiative to fast-track teachers into principalship roles amid a nationwide shortage of school principals, but warned that the program may still fall short of addressing deeper systemic issues in educators’ career development.
The Elementary and Secondary Education Ministry recently revealed that state schools across the country are lacking over 50,000 principals, with more than a quarter of them having no principals for years.
To address the issue, Elementary and Secondary Education Minister Abdul Mu’ti launched on Monday the School Leadership Program, a “transformative” approach to prepare educators for leadership roles. Participants will be eligible to be promoted not only as school principals, but also regional school supervisors and heads of regional education agencies.
“We don’t just need leaders merely with the right personality or credentials. But we need transformative leaders, who can drive, inspire and encourage innovation and breakthroughs in order to deliver the best education possible,” Mu’ti said at the launch ceremony.
Read also: Government to push Sekolah Rakyat expansion despite readiness concerns
Under the program, eligible teachers will undergo 110 hours of training at centers appointed by the schools ministry, followed by on-the-job training in selected schools, said the ministry’s director general for teacher and educational staff, Nunuk Suryani.
The training will focus on basic competencies, such as managerial skills, while drilling the participating teachers on the school ministry’s priority programs, including deep learning.
