Enrolment Numbers for Garuda Excellence Senior High School Fall Short of Government Expectations

Enrolment numbers for the newly established Garuda Excellence Senior High School are reported to have fallen short of government expectations, despite offering free education and overseas scholarship opportunities.

According to Tjitjik Sri Tjahjandarie, Special Aide to the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology for Government and Accountability, approximately 3,000 prospective students had registered at the school at the time of reporting. This figure represented an increase from around 1,200 applicants in February.

However, according to Tjitjik, the numbers still did not align with government targets. “The development has indeed not met expectations as we have only reached around 3,000 applicants so far,” said Tjitjik at the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology office in South Jakarta on Friday, 13 March 2026.

Tjitjik explained that one reason for the suboptimal registration figures was the relatively delayed opening of the application period compared with other excellence schools. He noted that the school would not commence operations until July 2026, meaning various preparations, including system development and regulatory formulation, were still ongoing when the registration process opened. “This registration has indeed been somewhat delayed compared with the excellence schools that were already operating previously,” he stated.

To increase enrolment numbers, the government plans to establish partnerships with several existing excellence schools. This collaboration will be undertaken through the Directorate of Talent Quality Assurance to enable more integrated student recruitment processes.

Previously, the government had extended the new student registration period twice. Initially, registration was only open until 28 February 2026. The Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology subsequently extended the deadline to 7 March. Most recently, according to a posting on the official Instagram account @sekolahgaruda.ri, the registration period was extended once more until 14 March.

With regard to the principal and vice-principal positions for Garuda Excellence Senior High School, several candidates have already been selected. Following a lengthy and rigorous selection process, the Directorate General of Science and Technology announced that 12 principals and vice-principals for Garuda Excellence Senior High School had been appointed.