Assessing the Presidential Regulation on Out-of-School Children and the Rights of 4 Million Future Generations

The issuance of Presidential Regulation (Perpres) No. 3 of 2026 on the Prevention and Handling of Out-of-School Children signifies a formal step by the state in responding to the problem of children excluded from the education system. In terms of legality, this policy demonstrates recognition that the issue is real and urgent. However, behind this acknowledgement, criticisms have emerged that the state has not fully addressed the root causes that have long driven children out of school. National Coordinator of the Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI), Ubaid Matraji, views this Perpres as an incomplete step. “Perpres 3/2026 is progress in terms of legality, but flawed philosophically if the state continues to wash its hands and allows the commercialisation of education to flourish,” Ubaid told Kompas.com on Tuesday (5/5/2026). Ubaid stressed that education issues do not end with regulation. When education costs rise and access is uneven, out-of-school children are not merely the result of individual choices, but of a system that has yet to guarantee basic rights equally. He described how children’s desire to attend school never truly fades, but the system meant to accommodate them is often unprepared. “Do not let this Perpres be used merely as a public relations tool to show that the government is working, while at the grassroots level, children want to go to school but schools are unavailable, children want to go to school but must be selected due to limited capacity,” said Ubaid. “Children want to go to school, but access is severely damaged and hard to reach, children want to go to school but schools are dilapidated, leaking, and on the verge of collapse. Children want to go to school but teachers are unavailable, and even if they are, they rarely show up,” he added. The state is not only demanded to produce policies but also to ensure the availability of schools, decent access, safe building conditions, and consistent teacher presence. In Ubaid’s view, the policy approach remains too focused on participation numbers. He emphasised that the goal of education must not stop at physical presence in school. “JPPI asserts that our target is not just ‘back to school’, but ‘back to learning’ (quality learning),” said Ubaid.