House Commission X Reminds Ministries on Readiness for 13-Year Compulsory Education

Jakarta - Deputy Chair of House Commission X, Kurniasih Mufidayati, has reminded all relevant ministries about the readiness to implement the 13-year compulsory education programme, which includes one year of compulsory preschool, a key education policy idea from President Prabowo Subianto. She stated that strengthening the legal norm for 13-Year Compulsory Education, starting from the early childhood education level, has also been included in the draft revision of the National Education System Law as a strategic step to reinforce the foundation of national education from an early age. “We now have a mandate for 13 years of compulsory education, and this is also a mandate from the President. This means that compulsory education must be understood by all types of existing schools, not only those under the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, but also by other ministries,” Kurniasih said during a Hearing Meeting with Commission X, the Secretary Generals of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Ministry of Social Affairs, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education in Jakarta on Tuesday. “So this needs to be a joint commitment, how this 13-year compulsory education, which is also the President’s mandate, must be carried together,” she added. On a previous occasion, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education stated it is ready to distribute the Smart Indonesia Programme education aid for preschool pupils for the 2026/2027 academic year starting from October to November 2026 to support the 13-year compulsory education. Director General of Early Childhood Education, Primary Education, and Non-Formal and Informal Education at the Ministry, Gogot Suharwoto, said the distribution process for the preschool aid will be carried out in the odd semester for the 2026/2027 academic year, using the basic education data cut-off as of 31 August 2026.