Abdul Mu'ti: English to become a compulsory subject starting from Year 3 Primary School

Badung, Bali (ANTARA) - The Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Abdul Mu’ti, stated that English will be made a compulsory subject for Year 3 primary school students starting from the 2027/2028 academic year as an effort to improve foreign language skills from an early age.

“English as a compulsory subject will begin being taught in the 2027/2028 academic year, starting from Year 3 of primary school,” said Abdul Mu’ti while presenting the policies of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education at the Indonesian National Education Convention (Konaspi) in Nusa Dua, Badung Regency, Bali, on Friday night.

He explained that the implementation of this policy requires the readiness of educators, particularly to ensure that teachers are capable of teaching basic English skills to primary school students.

The specific recruitment of English teachers is not yet a primary policy, unless required within the civil servant (CPNS) recruitment formations that are opened.

Abdul Mu’ti stated that English language learning should utilise a communicative and enjoyable approach so that students are not afraid of making mistakes when learning a foreign language.

According to him, the objective of learning at the initial stage is to build students’ courage to communicate, even if the language skills used are not yet entirely accurate.

“We want to ensure these children learn joyfully, even if they make mistakes,” he said.

He emphasised the importance of mastering foreign languages in facing global developments. In addition to English, the government is also encouraging the mastery of other foreign languages, as conveyed by the President on several occasions.

This policy is one of several priorities of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education in improving the quality of national education. Other programmes include deep learning, the strengthening of character education through guidance and counselling, the development of science and technology, as well as coding and artificial intelligence (AI) learning.

Abdul Mu’ti emphasised that improving the quality of education requires support from various parties, including universities, which play a role in preparing and enhancing teacher competence.

Through the strengthening of educator capabilities and a more communicative learning approach, he hopes that students will have a better foundation of foreign language skills from their primary education.