Member of DPR Commission X Bonnie Triyana has advised that education\npolicies, particularly regarding foreign language lessons, should not be\nimplemented solely due to national diplomatic needs. He stated that\neducation policies must be based on practical needs and tangible\nbenefits.<\/p>\n
He said President Prabowo Subianto\u2019s directive for Indonesian schools\nto teach French is not wrong per se, but policies must consider\ninfrastructure and resource readiness.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt present, schools should focus on major foreign languages,\nparticularly English, given its status as the global lingua franca,\u201d\nBonnie said when contacted on Sunday, 31 May 2026.<\/p>\n
Bonnie and the PDIP faction in DPR Commission X do not oppose foreign\nlanguage education in schools. After all, the nation\u2019s founding\ngeneration also studied foreign languages, including French.<\/p>\n
However, he noted that infrastructure and resources must be the\ngovernment\u2019s primary consideration when implementing education\npolicies.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe question is whether there are sufficient French speakers and\nteachers to cover all schools,\u201d Bonnie said.<\/p>\n
Moreover, he reminded that French and Portuguese, previously\nmentioned by the president for Indonesian schools, are not globally\ndominant languages in terms of usage capacity.<\/p>\n
In academic circles, he noted, English is predominantly used in\nscholarly journals worldwide.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost importantly, this idea should not be materialised into action\nmerely for the sake of superficial diplomacy,\u201d Bonnie added.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, 28 May, during a meeting with French President Emmanuel\nMacron at the \u00c9lys\u00e9e Palace in Paris, Prabowo stated that Indonesian\nschools at all levels should teach French.<\/p>\n
The president said Indonesia\u2019s close bilateral ties with France are\ndue to Macron\u2019s direct support. He expressed confidence that both\nnations can play a positive role in the current global geopolitical\nclimate of uncertainty, tensions, and conflicts.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education stated it would review\nPrabowo\u2019s directive. \u201cWe will study and follow up on the president\u2019s\nguidance,\u201d said Deputy Minister of Basic and Secondary Education Atip\nLatipulhayat when contacted on Friday, 29 May 2026.<\/p>\n
Previously, Prabowo had instructed that Portuguese be taught in\nIndonesian schools during a bilateral meeting with Brazilian President\nLuiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on 23 October\n2025.<\/p>\n
At the time, Prabowo described Portuguese as a priority for foreign\nlanguage education in Indonesia to strengthen ties with Brazil.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pdip-legislator-advises-on-foreign-language-education-in-schools-1780287579", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }