Accelerating Teacher Competency Improvement Requires Comprehensive Strategy

Deputy Speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Lestari Moerdijat has stated that efforts to accelerate the strengthening of teacher competency to realise inclusive education must be supported by accurate data and a comprehensive strategy. This is especially critical given the current high gap between the need for and availability of competent teachers in the field. “Currently, the gap between the need for and availability of competent teachers in the field is still very high, so a comprehensive strategy is needed to accelerate the improvement of teacher competency in implementing an inclusive education system,” said Lestari Moerdijat in a statement on Saturday (11/7/2026). Data from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education as of September 2025 recorded 363,921 students with disabilities across Indonesia. Of that number, 199,375 students are studying in 60,910 educational units that provide inclusive education (SPPI). However, she lamented the fact that only about 15 per cent of the total SPPI have a Special Guidance Teacher (GPK). “This condition is a serious obstacle to realising equal education services. Therefore, efforts to increase the number of teachers capable of educating children with special needs must be realised immediately. This is not just a matter of quantity, but also the quality of competency that must be pursued,” she said. According to her, accelerating the improvement of teacher competency requires concrete and measurable steps. She fully supports the government programme targeting training for 1,500 teachers in 25 provinces throughout 2026 to reach an advanced level. However, she reminded that this target only covers a small portion of the national need. Moreover, based on data from the Directorate General of Teachers and Education Personnel (GTK), 2,663 teachers are currently recorded as having met the requirements as candidate participants, with the potential for an additional 5,129 new prospective participants through an equivalency scheme. “The government must be consistent and aggressive. The training programme launched by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is a good first step, but do not stop there. We need to look at the ideal ratio,” she stated. She stressed that improving teacher competency must not be merely technical in nature. She also reminded that the success of inclusive education is largely determined by the teacher’s ability to understand the needs of each child and adapt teaching methods, not the other way around. “Teachers are agents of change who must possess critical thinking and humanitarian skills. They must receive support from all parties to be able to translate the national education philosophy into inclusive and adaptive learning practices, especially in this digital era,” she concluded.