BEM SI Kerakyatan Issues Yellow Card to Ministry of Education
Representatives from the National Student Executive Board Alliance, or BEM SI Kerakyatan, issued a yellow card to Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Fauzan during an audience outside the ministry on Monday afternoon, 4 May 2026.
According to the students, the yellow card symbolises a warning regarding the poor performance of the two education ministries in the era of President Prabowo Subianto. These are the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology.
“We from the BEM Across Indonesia are issuing a yellow card as a warning to the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology and the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, whose programmes never touch the root of educational problems,” said a student from the University of Indonesia while showing the yellow card to Fauzan.
Hundreds of other demonstrators then cheered as they witnessed the moment. The student representative then stated that the education ministries bear great sins because there are no concrete results from the implementation of their programmes.
He also criticised the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology’s approach to student presidents or presma on campuses, which he deemed lacking in substantive weight. “The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology only carries out ceremonial work, gathering all presma to hold FGDs in luxury hotels. That’s not good, sir!” said the male student.
The audience process between the students and Fauzan lasted about 40 minutes, marked by commotion. Their dialogue continued even amidst heavy rain in the FX Sudirman shopping centre area, which was the centre of the action.
Other student representatives from several universities in Jakarta also took turns voicing criticisms of education policies. The students protested because the 20% education budget from the state budget is partly allocated to the free nutritious meal project. They demanded that the nutritious meal programme be stopped.
In addition, they complained about the discourse on closing several study programmes that are deemed irrelevant to field needs. “It’s not the programmes that are wrong; it’s the government that can’t adjust to job market needs,” said the Chairman of BEM UI, Yatalathof Ma’shum Imawan.
Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Fauzan then responded to several issues highlighted by the students. He said there is no closure of study programmes as previously stated by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology.
“There is no closure of study programmes. What exists is reorganisation. That means reorganisation does not close. Reorganisation provides strengthening to the study programmes. And this is not only a matter of teacher training, but also other study programmes,” he said.
The students were not immediately satisfied with Fauzan’s answer. He was labelled a liar by some students.