The Central Board of the Indonesian Teachers Association (PB PGRI)\nhas backed Primary and Secondary Education Minister Abdul Mu\u2019ti\u2019s\nstatement that a policy ending automatic grade promotion will take\neffect in the 2027\/2028 academic year. PGRI chair Unifah Rosyidi\nhighlighted the importance of students\u2019 competence.<\/p>\n
\u201cI agree. At its heart, education is not merely about completing the\ncurriculum or spending a year learning,\u201d Unifah said when contacted on\nSaturday (17 October 2026).<\/p>\n
She said education should equip pupils with knowledge and the ability\nto think that they need in life. \u201cFor that reason, promotion to the next\ngrade should reflect genuine progress in competence. Ideally, pupils\nmoving up should have mastered the basic skills they need to learn more\ncomplex material,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
She cited the example of a Year 3 primary school pupil who had not\nunderstood multiplication. The pupil, she said, would struggle with\ndivision, fractions and ratios in the following year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose difficulties can accumulate, causing pupils to lose confidence\nand motivation to learn,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She stressed that such difficulties should be identified early\nthrough diagnostic assessment, which observes pupils\u2019 abilities and\nlearning needs. This principle is in line with the Ministry of Primary\nand Secondary Education\u2019s learning and assessment guidelines.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt should be understood that bringing back promotion examinations\ndoes not mean returning to an education system focused on report-card\nmarks and graduation. Instead, this policy should be an opportunity to\nimprove how teachers teach and assess pupils\u2019 abilities,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Abdul Mu\u2019ti previously said that the policy ending automatic\npromotion would begin in the 2027\/2028 academic year. He said it was\ncurrently under review and had been presented to President Prabowo\nSubianto.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are now carrying out the review process and, God willing, it will\nbegin to be implemented in the new academic year, 2027\/2028,\u201d Abdul\nMu\u2019ti said, as quoted by Antara on Saturday (17 October).<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/policy-ending-automatic-grade-promotion-to-return-pgri-discusses-student-competence-1792281031", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }