Education Minister: Intercultural Education Is the Strength of the Future Generation

Jakarta – The Minister of Basic and Secondary Education (Mendikdasmen), Abdul Mu’ti, said that intercultural education builds the strength of the future generation to become global citizens who do not lose their identity as Indonesians.

“Becoming global citizens without losing one’s identity as Indonesians is the strength of the future generation built through intercultural education,” Mu’ti said in Jakarta on Friday.

The organisation of the 70th Antarbudaya AFS National Symposium, he said, provides a platform for dialogue on the importance of character education and intercultural experiences in shaping Indonesia’s youth who are academically outstanding, empathetic, capable of collaboration and with a global perspective.

“Intercultural education is considered one of the learning spaces relevant to building that character,” said Rita.

The Bina Antarbudaya Foundation, a non-profit organisation since 1985, has managed the AFS student exchange programme in Indonesia.

Therefore, Mu’ti also urged the foundation together with the AFS Indonesia programme to broaden its reach to various regions, particularly those in the 3T category, so more young people have the opportunity to gain intercultural experiences and education.

“We invite AFS Indonesia to extend the programme to more regions in eastern Indonesia, especially the 3T areas. There, many young people have extraordinary potential but do not yet have equal access to intercultural experiences,” he said.