Bandung Mayor Ensures Transparent and Child-Rights-Focused New Student Admission System for 2026

The Bandung City Government is beginning to finalise the implementation of the New Student Admission System (SPMB) for the 2026/2027 Academic Year through a Socialisation and Public Communication event held at the Grandia Bandung Hotel on Tuesday, 12 May 2026.

In the forum, Bandung Mayor Muhammad Farhan stressed that the SPMB implementation is not merely an annual administrative process, but the initial gateway to ensuring that the educational rights of all children are fulfilled fairly.

According to Farhan, the dynamics of the new student admission system in Indonesia always undergo changes from year to year, from changes in names and mechanisms to selection patterns that are continuously adjusted to societal needs and field challenges.

‘This SPMB is not just about student admission administration. This is how we ensure that children receive decent educational rights,’ Farhan stated.

He acknowledged that new student admission issues are always a sensitive topic in society, especially for public schools that have limited capacity compared to the number of registrants.

However, based on data from the Bandung City Education Office, the overall capacity for SD graduates entering public junior secondary schools does not experience a significant deficit.

The main issue, according to Farhan, arises from the implementation of the domicile or zoning system, which requires equitable access to education across various regions.

Therefore, Farhan views public communication as the primary key so that society understands the applicable system and is not easily influenced by misleading information.

‘Communication must not be interrupted. When society feels it does not receive clear information, unrest and unnecessary disturbances usually arise,’ he said.

In his directions, Farhan explained that the 2026 SPMB implementation is strengthened through Bandung Mayor’s Regulation Number 24 of 2026 on amendments to Bandung Mayor’s Regulation Number 24 of 2025 regarding the new student admission system for public kindergarten, primary, and junior secondary levels.

The regulation is also complemented by technical guidelines for the SPMB implementation for the 2026/2027 Academic Year to ensure the process runs orderly, clearly, and provides certainty for society.

Farhan emphasised four main principles that all parties must uphold in this year’s SPMB implementation. The first principle is justice and equity.

He stressed that no child in Bandung City should lose the opportunity to obtain education due to economic limitations, access to information, or other non-academic factors. ‘We want to ensure all children have equal opportunities to grow and develop,’ he said.

The second principle is transparency and integrity. Farhan urged all ranks of the Education Office, school principals, school operators, and SPMB committees to keep the admission process clean and open.

He also requested that the Education Office prepare a special public communication team that actively provides information to the media and society to prevent information discrepancies as in previous years.

‘Avoid data manipulation and various deviations that damage public trust. Integrity is our collective face,’ he stated.

In addition, Farhan highlighted the importance of humane service to society. According to him, the school admission period is a time full of hope as well as anxiety for parents.

Therefore, services must be carried out in a friendly, clear, informative manner, and able to provide solutions to society facing difficulties. He asked all sub-district elements, from districts, villages, neighbourhood associations, to local security and order forums, to maintain conducive conditions during the admission process.

Farhan also assessed that strengthening the digital system is an important step to minimise the potential for data manipulation in the SPMB implementation.

‘With a digital system, the risk of data intervention becomes much smaller,’ he said.

In front of the socialisation participants, Farhan invited mass media, education committees, community organisations, and citizen communities to jointly disseminate correct information regarding SPMB 2026.

According to him, the success of the new student admission system is not only the government’s responsibility but also requires active participation from all societal elements.

He also expressed appreciation to the Bandung City Education Office and the 2026 SPMB committee, which he assessed as bearing great responsibility in ensuring fair and quality educational access.

‘This is the benefit of democracy. Truth is not guarded by one party alone, but is a collective responsibility,’ he stated.

Farhan hopes that the 2026 SPMB implementation can give birth to increasingly better education governance and support the emergence of superior, characterful, competitive generations in Bandung City, ready to face future challenges towards the vision of Bandung Utama: excellent, open, trustworthy, advanced, and pious.