The Religious Affairs Ministry and the United States have agreed to expand access to the US’s Fulbright scholarship program for Indonesian institutions and individuals under the ministry, in an attempt to increase cultural exchanges and improve education quality in the country.

Hassan Wirajuda, who served as foreign minister under the country's fifth and sixth presidents, was inaugurated on Wednesday as rector of Prasetiya Mulya University, vowing to develop an East Asian studies program to reflect the region's growing impact on the global order.

The government has agreed with lawmakers to lower the haj costs for this year by around Rp 4 million (US$248) in total, in a move Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar said reflected President Prabowo Subianto’s eagerness to reduce the pilgrims’ financial burden.

The second day of the free meals rollout saw some schoolchildren complaining of unpalatable food, raising concerns among students, parents and experts alike about whether the government can maintain food quality and safety in the ambitious flagship program.

President Prabowo Subianto’s much-anticipated free nutritious meals program finally had its official rollout on Monday in numerous provinces across Indonesia, as students and teachers welcomed the first day of implementation with excitement.

The government has advised people to stay calm and take protective measures after it increased surveillance of HMPV to prevent the virus, which causes respiratory tract infections, from entering the country amid a slight rise in cases in China.

Stunting affects 21.5 percent of children in the archipelago of some 282 million people. The government aims to reduce the rate to five percent by 2045.

All eyes will be on President Prabowo Subianto’s administration on Monday with the rollout of the landmark free nutritious meals program, which will focus most of the work on densely populated Java in the first phase of a multiyear effort to improve the nation’s overall nutritional intake.

President Prabowo Subianto’s administration is planning to roll out free medical screenings next month as part of the country’s effort to detect various diseases early and avoid preventable deaths.

Two of the arrested suspects are civilians, while the other two are military personnel, prompting the police to coordinate with the Military Police in investigating the case.

Indonesia had its hottest April in more than four decades last year as extreme heat swept parts of Asia.

Elementary and Secondary Education Minister Abdul Mu’ti is looking to scrap the national assessment and replace it with a revamped version of the national examinations, although observers are unconvinced that reintroducing the decades-old policy will result in an improvement to the nation’s education system.

The Elementary and Secondary Education Ministry is set to evaluate its school zoning policies to enhance fairness and accessibility in education. This initiative aims to address ongoing challenges and incorporate community feedback.

In response to rising concerns about violence in schools, the Elementary and Secondary Education Ministry has established 27 new task forces dedicated to preventing and addressing incidents of violence in educational institutions.

A string of hiccups in the pilot tests of the government’s free nutritious meal program, including alleged fraud, have prompted questions over how the plan would efficiently be implemented nationwide this week.

Most of the products came from China, South Korea, India, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, BPOM Chief Taruna Ikrar said in a press briefing on Monday, adding that the cosmetics contained various dangerous chemicals such as mercury, rhodamin, hydroquinone and tretinoin. 

Earlier, a video went viral on social media featuring a statement from President Prabowo Subianto, conveyed through Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar, announcing the possibility of a full month of school holidays for Ramadan 2025.

After several issues that riddled this year's haj program, including uneven quota allocation and subpar facilities, the religious affairs minister has promised to reduce prices for the 2025 program without compromising on service quality.

The education minister has recently announced a decision to review a new rule on incentive pay for lecturers issued by his predecessor, which was due to come into force in January, leading some universities to question the government's commitment to improving their welfare.

Despite the heavy toll, the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami hitting Indonesia and dozens of other countries has become a wake-up call for nations to prepare for tsunamis as well as an example of how the world can work together to rebuild after disasters.

Mourners flocked to several mass grave sites in Banda Aceh and neighboring Aceh Besar regency starting on Thursday morning.

Two decades have passed since the deadliest earthquake and tsunami in modern history hit Indonesia’s westernmost province. Many wounds linger and are hard to heal, but Aceh has moved on, slowly but surely rising up from the disaster.

The Higher Education, Science and Technology Ministry is reevaluating a ministerial regulation signed by former education minister Nadiem Makarim on allowances for lecturers, while asking for extra funding from the Finance Ministry to allow them fully pay benefits to lecturers.

Millions of Indonesians have begun hitting the road for the Christmas and New Year holidays, as authorities put policies in place for smooth and safe travel.

Indonesia has seen a number of deadly road accidents over the past year, sparking concerns about road safety and calls for stronger government oversight of the land transportation and logistics sectors.

Today, the volcanic rock likeness of the Hindu god Ganesha, bearing four arms and the head of an elephant, stands tall inside the National Museum in Jakarta.

The abrupt closure of an art exhibition at Jakarta’s National Gallery exploring themes related to former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has sparked concerns about the direction of freedom of expression in the country.

Observers regard authorities’ odds of winning in their efforts to curb online gambling as slim, given that the government is too focused on law enforcement rather than comprehensive measures.

A group of researchers from the Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) has introduced assisted reproductive technology (ART) for endangered species in an effort to assist in their conservation.

The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) is urging the government to regulate social media use for children. MUI takes Australia as an example, where a law bans those under 16 from accessing popular social media platforms.