Here's Why Prabowo Wants Primary School Children to Start Learning Foreign Languages

President Prabowo Subianto wants primary schools to start using foreign languages so that graduates can be accepted into the global job market. “We will start foreign languages for our children from the first grade of primary school, the most important languages: English, Mandarin, Arabic. Also Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French,” he said during a speech at the Annual Session of the MPR and the Joint Session of the DPR and DPD in the context of the 81st Anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia at the Nusantara Building, Parliament Complex, Central Jakarta, Friday (14/8/2026). President Prabowo believes that foreign language skills trained from an early age, along with access to the best education, will make Indonesian talent easily accepted for work in foreign companies across various sectors, especially science and technology. “Later, when they enter the job market, they will have more ability and can be accepted anywhere. They can work with any party, and we understand that currently China has the most dynamic economy, but Japan, Korea, and France are advanced, many countries speak Spanish and Arabic. We also need to learn Russian for their science and technology,” said Prabowo. He revealed that Indonesian workers are increasingly sought after by other countries, particularly in the service sector. The President stated that demand for Indonesian labour is high in fields such as tourism, nursing, and hospitals. “Indonesians are known to be friendly, hardworking, and polite, which is why our workers are in demand globally,” he said. Therefore, Prabowo is actively building educational infrastructure such as schools, universities, and dormitories. “We are building people’s schools, boarding schools for children from the most disadvantaged families, with computer labs. Our strategy is to break the cycle of poverty.”