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The future of primary and secondary education under new minister
Decolonization should be about dismantling hegemonic knowledge systems and embracing the plurality of knowledge sources, whether they come from the West or local traditions.
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Nature education: Children wade across the Ciujung River in Sukaluyu village, South Cianjur regency in West Java on Aug. 10, 2022 to reach their elementary school. (Antara/Raisan Al Farisi)
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resident Prabowo Subianto has divided the Ministry of Education, Research, and Technology into three entities: The Culture Minstry, the Higher Education, Science and Technology Ministry and the Primary and Secondary Education Ministry. This change aims for greater specialization and efficiency.
The appointment of Abdul Mu’ti as minister and Fajar Riza Ul Haq and Atip Latipulhayat as primary and secondary education deputy ministers signals a shift from past administrations. Unlike earlier choices of a business figure for the education portfolio, Prabowo selected scholars with deep ties to Muhammadiyah, a major Islamic organization known for its long-standing educational efforts since 1912.
Both Mu’ti and Fajar come from Muhammadiyah while Atip is a professor of law from Padjadjaran University, Bandung, West Java.
With a network of over 5,000 schools, Muhammadiyah’s experience is well-established. But can this expertise drive the visionary reforms needed to close learning gaps and tackle Indonesia's future educational challenges?
The new ministry faces the critical task of addressing learning losses from the COVID-19 pandemic. Indonesia's 2022 PISA results revealed a decline in reading, mathematics and science performance, mainly due to pandemic disruptions. Former education minister Nadiem Makarim called these losses a major setback.
No one would deny closing these gaps is essential for achieving Indonesia's 2045 goals.
Instead of a curriculum overhaul, the Primary and Secondary Education Ministry should prioritize refining existing approaches. Recent reforms have burdened teachers with administrative tasks, reducing classroom interaction time. Streamlining these duties could allow teachers to focus more on student engagement.
