Government Targets Garuda Transformation Schools to Operate Starting July 2026

Jakarta - The Presidential Chief of Staff (KSP) Dudung Abdurachman has claimed that the progress of constructing the Garuda Transformation SMA and Garuda New SMA in various regions shows satisfactory results. Dudung targets these schools to be completed and operational by July 2026. “This is part of the major agenda of the President of the Republic of Indonesia to produce outstanding Indonesian talents with global standards,” Dudung stated after meeting with Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Stella Christie at the Presidential Palace Complex in Jakarta on Wednesday (13/5/2026). Dudung said that in the Garuda School programme, the KSP plays a role in resolving various technical obstacles in the field, such as coordination with other ministries, communities, and regional issues. Meanwhile, Stella Christie highlighted the important role of the KSP in guiding this programme from the planning stage to execution. “Without the KSP, we cannot build the Garuda School. So the KSP has been involved from the very beginning, even in the formation of the Presidential Regulation (Perpres) to things that are sudden and unexpected but must be resolved,” she said. “The Garuda School has an endowment fund, meaning it is a state investment from the President that is created now for the Garuda School and will last forever,” she explained. Then, Stella outlined that the Garuda School is built in locations that reach all corners of the Archipelago, such as in Belitung, Soe (NTT), Tanjung Selor (North Kalimantan), and Southeast Sulawesi. The main focus of this programme is equitable access for outstanding students regardless of background. The full scholarship recipients are mostly from economic decile 4 groups but have an average extraordinary academic achievement of 88. Stella then analogised this education investment to building a national football team (timnas). Stella also places great hope that from the Garuda School, Indonesia will not only produce champions in sports but also on the global intellectual stage. “We will also get not only gold medals in badminton, but Nobel laureates from Indonesia someday,” said Stella.