BEM SI to Stage Hardiknas Demonstration, Here Are Its 9 Demands
The Alliance of the All-Indonesia Student Executive Body, or BEM SI, will hold a demonstration to commemorate National Education Day (Hardiknas), which falls on 2 May. BEM SI Central Coordinator Muzammil Ihsan stated that the action will take place in the area of the Arjuna Wijaya Horse Statue, Central Jakarta, this Saturday afternoon.
Muzammil explained that this year’s Hardiknas protest rally will not only be attended by BEM SI members but also by Muhammadiyah and ’Aisyiyah Higher Education Institutions (PTMA) as well as other community elements. “Approximately 700 people,” said Muzammil via text message on Saturday, 2 May 2026.
Muzammil detailed that there are nine demands brought by BEM SI directed at the government in today’s action. First, reform of education budget governance as well as the separation of public education budgets from civil service budgets and the cessation of excessive education commercialisation.
Second, BEM SI urges the central and regional governments to make education a substantive priority, not just a formality in budgeting. Then, the students demand equitable access to quality education in remote, frontier, and outermost areas (3T), remote regions, and vulnerable groups.
Fourth, BEM SI urges improvements in teacher welfare and fair, transparent, and dignified resolution of honorary teacher status, as well as equitable distribution of teachers and reform of the teacher recruitment system. Next, they demand the rehabilitation of damaged schools and the fulfilment of adequate educational facilities and infrastructure throughout Indonesia.
Sixth, BEM SI urges consistent education policies that are data-based and long-term oriented. Seventh, promoting character education that is real, contextual, and rooted in national values and local wisdom.
In the eighth point, the students demand transparency and strict oversight of all education budget usage. Finally, they urge revisions to the discussion of the National Education System Law (Sisdiknas) with involvement from civil society participation.
The call for this Hardiknas action was also shared by BEM SI through its official Instagram account @bem_si. On social media, this demonstration uses the hashtag #GelapGulitaPendidikanIndonesia. BEM SI highlights the still-found disparities in education conditions to policies that actually move away from public interests.
“Hardiknas is not just a ceremony. This is a moment of resistance, a moment to voice the truth,” wrote BEM SI in the caption of its post.