Deputy Speaker of MPR Hopes Education Curriculum Considers Mental Health Aspects

An integrated approach to addressing mental health issues among children and adolescents is crucial to safeguard the future of the nation’s next generation,” stated Lestari in her remarks on Saturday (11/4/2026). Data from the Ministry of Health at the beginning of 2026 indicates that around 5% of Indonesian children and adolescents experience symptoms of mental disorders, particularly depression and anxiety. This finding is supported by the results of the Free Health Check Programme (CKG) in March 2026, which states that one in ten Indonesian children faces indications of mental health problems. From approximately 7 million children screened, 363,326 children (4.8%) showed symptoms of depression and 338,316 children (4.4%) experienced symptoms of anxiety. However, of that number, only 2.6% of children and adolescents receive professional treatment. She assesses that several recent cases of violence involving children and adolescents, such as a child killing their mother in Sumbawa, NTB, and Semarang, Central Java, are not anomalies. “Those are symptoms. Symptoms of a system that fails to equip them with the most basic human ability, which is to understand themselves,” she said. She also criticises the national education system, which has so far overly idolised numbers, rankings, and cognitive achievements. According to her, current education neglects mental health and emotional maturity. “If this condition is allowed to continue, schools will unwittingly become spaces that produce pressure rather than build resilience. Mental health must become a core part of the national curriculum,” she emphasised. She revealed that children today are growing up in environments with increasingly complex pressures. However, they have not been fully equipped with the ability to understand and manage them. Without serious intervention efforts, this nation risks losing one generation due to growing up under the pressure of fragile mental health threats. According to her, strong commitment and concrete steps are needed from stakeholders to realise the appropriate mechanisms that produce a healthy, strong-charactered, and competitive next generation for the future. “To become a strong nation, we need a next generation that excels not only intellectually but also mentally resilient,” she concluded.