Government Targets LGBTQ Prevention Material in Curriculum This Year

The government will incorporate educational material on preventing the phenomenon of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) sexual orientation into school teaching materials starting this year. This was conveyed by Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs Romo Muhammad Syafi’i, as cited from the ministry’s official website. He stated that the move to begin including material on preventing the spread of LGBTQ into the curriculum for the 2026/2027 academic year is a follow-up to Presidential Regulation 111/2025 on General State Defence Policy. The LGBTQ prevention material will be inserted into the learning process within the existing curriculum for students from grade IV of elementary school to senior high school. ‘The target for this curriculum insertion is students starting from grade IV of elementary school, then junior high and senior high school levels,’ Romo explained in an article published by the Ministry of Religious Affairs on Wednesday (22/7). ‘In this material, we do not discuss the practice of its spread in the field in detail. The focus is on providing understanding to children so they do not become involved in the LGBTQ cultural movement, while equipping them with an understanding of attitudes that can serve as a fortress to prevent them from falling into LGBTQ,’ he continued. He explained that the material will also contain explanations regarding various forms of dissemination perceived to occur in society and at the international level. The hope, he said, is that students will have an adequate understanding in addressing it. Citing the same source, Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Pratikno stated that the implementation of the policy refers to Presidential Regulation Number 111 of 2025, which designates the issue as a form of non-military threat. Therefore, Pratikno said, cross-agency and ministerial cooperation and coordination are being intensified to realise this. ‘Because of that, we will continue to coordinate relevant ministries and agencies, including the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the Ministry of Communication, and various institutions that organise educational units. This coordination also includes the Ministry of Social Affairs which organises Sekolah Rakyat, as well as other technical ministries that have official schools,’ he said. Previously, the House of Representatives (DPR), through its commission overseeing education, cautioned the government to be careful and wise in incorporating LGBTQ prevention material into the curriculum, especially for elementary schools. Deputy Chairman of Commission X DPR Lalu Hadrian Irfani noted that the material must be simple and consider child development. ‘If what is meant is providing education about health, puberty development, respecting others, and explaining that every child has the right to protection from bullying and violence, that can be part of age-appropriate education,’ Lalu said on Wednesday, as cited from detik.com. He also requested that the prevention material be compiled based on facts and consider the child’s developmental situation. Nevertheless, he assessed that sexual orientation cannot be prevented through a curriculum. According to him, education should focus more on building children’s character. Additionally, he said, it is also important to create a safe school environment for children.