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View all search resultsNadiem’s graft case underscores education corruption woes
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Former education, culture, research and technology minister Nadiem Makarim (center) walks out of the Attorney General's Office (AGO) building in Jakarta on Sept. 4, 2025. The AGO name him a suspect in a corruption case pertaining to the procurement of Chromebook laptops for schools across the country during his ministerial tenure which was estimated to have caused around Rp 1.9 trillion of state losses. (Antara/Bayu Pratama S)
T
he graft allegations against former education minister Nadiem Makarim have cast a harsh light on the education sector’s vulnerability to corruption, fueling calls for systemic reform ahead of what will be the country’s largest-ever education budget next year.
Nadiem, a former tech CEO who cofounded Gojek before entering former Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s cabinet in 2019, was named a suspect on Thursday by the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) over a multi-trillion-rupiah school digitalization project involving the procurement of Google Chromebook laptops.
Investigators allege that Nadiem abused his authority by pushing for the use of Google technology, including Chromebooks, before a proper tender process was conducted, disregarding ministry research that deemed the devices ineffective in regions with poor internet access.
He is also accused of instructing subordinates to manipulate the tender in Google’s favor by requiring specifications that would necessitate the ChromeOS operating system. According to the AGO, the project caused an estimated Rp 1.9 trillion (US$11 million) in state losses.
Separately, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) questioned Nadiem last month over alleged irregularities in the procurement of Google Cloud services, which investigators suspect was similarly skewed under his leadership.
Read also: Former minister Nadiem accused of abuse of authority in Chromebook graft case
Although the 41-year-old has yet to be proven guilty in court, Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI) national coordinator Ubaid Matraji called the case a “harsh reality check” of how deeply corruption has mired Indonesia’s education sector.
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