Government Opens Option to Regroup Schools with Declining Student Numbers

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is opening the possibility of merging state primary schools that experience a continuous decline in student numbers. Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Atip Latipulhayat said the drop in new student enrolment is occurring in several regions, including Jakarta. The government, he said, will carry out mergers or regrouping for schools that continue to see a decline in pupil numbers. “The number of primary school students is decreasing for various reasons. Therefore, we have a policy for primary schools whose student numbers continue to decline, that school will be regrouped. For example, from three schools into one,” Atip said during a school visit in West Jakarta on Monday, 13 July 2026. The statement was made in response to the situation at SDN Grogol Utara 05 Pagi in South Jakarta, which only accepted 30 new students for the 2026/2027 academic year. This figure is lower than the available capacity of two study groups. According to Atip, the decline in primary school student numbers is not only happening in Jakarta but also in several other regions. The causes are diverse, so the government will examine the conditions of each school. Atip declined to disclose data and the causes of the student number decline. He only said the phenomenon of decreasing student numbers in some areas varies. Some regions experience a surplus of students, while others face a shortage of learners. Furthermore, Atip argued that the factors influencing the decline in student numbers in each region are highly varied. “There are certainly many causes, so they cannot be specifically mentioned,” he said. Previously, the Head of SDN Grogol Utara 05 Pagi, Agung Tri, revealed that his school opened a quota of two classes with a maximum capacity of around 64 students. The quota was adjusted based on the study groups that graduated from Year 6 in the previous academic year. However, from the new student admission process, SDN Grogol Utara only received 30 students, thus forming only one study group. “Ideally, the maximum is 32 per class, but because so few enrolled, we only got 30 students,” Agung said at the school on Monday, 13 July 2026. According to Agung, based on information he received from the Jakarta Education Agency, the decline in new student numbers is not only happening at SDN Grogol Utara 05 Pagi. Several other state primary schools in Jakarta are experiencing a similar situation. In fact, there are still schools that have not met their capacity even at the advanced stage of new student admissions. “It has indeed decreased. This means there is a decline. Many schools, up to tens of thousands of seats, in the second stage remain unfilled,” Agung said. Tempo has attempted to confirm the data on the decline in new student numbers at state primary schools in Jakarta with the Head of the DKI Jakarta Education Agency, Nahdiana. However, as of the writing of this report, Tempo’s request for confirmation had not received a response.