Expert: Indonesia's Education Problems Are Not the Schools, But People's Mindset

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Indonesia’s education problems are not solely about schools or access to learning. Instead, society’s mindset towards the meaning of learning is still considered the main issue. Many people still view education as synonymous with formal schooling. However, the learning process is actually much broader and can occur outside the classroom. Educator and initiator of the Semua Murid Semua Guru movement, Najelaa Shihab, believes this perspective needs to be changed so that education can develop more relevantly to the needs of the times. She explained that education has often been equated with academic achievements in school. In fact, various communities and initiatives outside the formal system play an important role in shaping skills and character. “The efforts undertaken are not just about academic achievements, but about behavioural changes and real contributions to a broader ecosystem,” she said during the Belajaraya Jakarta 2026 press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday (21/4/2026). With the development of technology and changes in the world of work, skill needs are also changing. The learning process is no longer limited to school benches, but also through communities, digital platforms, and cross-sector collaborations. This is also acknowledged by the government. Head of the Digital Literacy Development Centre at the Ministry of Communication and Digital, Rizki Ameliah, emphasised that education today is very dynamic and cannot be handled by one party alone. “The government cannot go it alone; we need to move together with communities, the private sector, and academics,” she said. According to her, collaboration is key to addressing various challenges, from learning access disparities, uneven education quality, to new skill needs in the digital era. In practice, community-based movements are beginning to show significant roles. The Semua Murid Semua Guru network, for example, now involves more than 1,000 education communities in various regions that encourage learning innovations outside the formal system. This also shows that education is no longer centred in big cities or formal institutions alone, but is starting to grow more broadly and inclusively in various areas. To encourage this change in mindset, various parties are now strengthening cross-sector collaborations through public meeting spaces. One of them is through the Belajaraya Jakarta 2026 education festival, which will be held on 2 May, coinciding with National Education Day. This event is designed as a collaboration space between educators, communities, government, and the private sector to discuss the future of Indonesian education. Through this approach, it is hoped that education will no longer be seen merely as an activity in the classroom, but as a lifelong learning process involving many parties.