TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsGaruda Schools perks draw backlash amid teacher welfare concerns
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
A teacher demonstrates the use of a microscope to students on Oct. 8, 2025, at SMAN Unggulan MH Thamrin in Cipayung, East Jakarta. The school is one of 12 schools selected for transformation under the Sekolah Garuda (Garuda School) program, one of President Prabowo Subianto's education initiatives. (Antara/Asprilla Dwi Adha)
T
he facilities offered for teachers recruited for the Sekolah Garuda (Garuda Schools) program have drawn criticism for potentially creating disparities between educators at elite and regular schools.
The government is set to open four new Garuda Schools in East Belitung, Bangka Belitung Islands; Bulungan, North Kalimantan; Konawe, North Sulawesi; and South Timor Tengah, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).
Aimed at preparing high-achieving students from disadvantaged backgrounds for admission to top global universities, the four new boarding high schools would add to 12 Transformed Garuda Schools, which were converted from established top performing institutions.
The Higher Education, Science and Technology Ministry has opened recruitment for four principals, 16 vice principals, 96 teachers and 96 nonteaching staff for schools set to open in the 2026/2027 academic year.
Teacher candidates are required to hold a Teacher Professional Education (PPG) certificate and be noncivil servants. Principals and vice principal candidates must be civil servants with experience in school management. All applicants must also demonstrate English proficiency.
Second Deputy Higher Education, Science and Technology Minister Stella Christy shared the requirements and benefits in a video on the Garuda Schools program’s Instagram account on Saturday, displaying a digital mock-up of provided housing.
Teachers will get a 60-square-meter house, while principals and vice principals will get a larger 120-square-meter residence, in addition to what she deemed as "competitive salaries”.
