Children Under Seven May Enter Primary School: Here Are the Requirements
The Ministry of Education, Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) has reiterated that the previously fixed minimum age of seven years for entry to primary school is no longer a binding rule. The ministry says that while the seven-year-old age remains prioritized, conditions exist where a child may enter primary school below seven, or even at six, and this is now permitted.
Gogot Suharwoto, the Director General of Early Childhood Education, Basic Education, and Non-Formal and Informal Education at Kemendikdasmen, stated that the age limit for entering primary education is governed by Ministerial Regulation No. 3 of 2025 on the System for New Student Admissions (SPMB). “So for the SPMB for the primary level, there is an age exception. But there is a caveat. The key is that the child is ready to participate in learning at the primary school level,” Gogot said after signing a joint commitment on a child-friendly SPMB at the Kemendikdasmen office in South Jakarta on Thursday, 21 May 2026.
The caveat referenced by Gogot includes that before admission, prospective students must possess a certificate or statement indicating that the child is ready to follow lessons at the primary level. “From whom? From a credible expert. The expert should be a psychologist who is trusted,” he added.
If the parents of the prospective student do not possess a psychologist’s certificate, they may use a recommendation letter issued by the school’s board of governors at the relevant educational unit. This rule is stated in Article 11, Paragraph 7 of Permendikdasmen No. 3 of 2025 on SPMB.
Provisions for children under six years old who may be admitted to primary school must also meet the justification that the child possesses special intelligence or talent. “So it does not have to be seven years old, and it does not have to have a kindergarten certificate,” Gogot noted.
Himmatul Aliyah, Deputy Chair of Commission X of the House of Representatives, also responded to the issue of a non-rigid minimum age for school entry. She said that in the ongoing revision of the National Education System Law (UU Sisdiknas), the issue of age is emphasised; age should not be an obstacle for a child to access education.
“Children’s intelligence varies. Some are ready to learn, or even show extraordinary abilities at age five or six. Therefore, administrative barriers need to be adjusted to demonstrate a child’s physical readiness and intelligence,” she said.
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