Inclusive Education from Bandung Gains International Recognition at Oxford
The transformation of the national education system towards more inclusive education continues to show positive progress.
Amid government efforts to expand equal access to education for all Indonesian children, an inclusive education practice developed in Bandung, West Java, has succeeded in gaining international recognition.
Dr Irawan Febianto, CEO of Prime Smart, received the Inclusive Education Leader of the Year award at the 17th World Leaders Summit & Woman Leaders Forum 2026, held at the Examination Schools, University of Oxford, England, in July 2026.
The award recognised Irawan’s contribution to developing an inclusive education model through Prime Smart in Bandung.
The educational institution has long championed learning services that bring together regular pupils and children with special needs in an equitable, high-quality educational environment focused on developing the potential of every learner.
This international recognition is considered aligned with the direction of Indonesia’s education development, which has shifted from a paradigm of segregation towards an inclusive education system. This approach opens equal learning opportunities for all children, regardless of their background or circumstances.
The World Leaders Summit is an international leadership forum bringing together leaders, academics, entrepreneurs, policymakers and agents of change from more than 30 countries. They discuss various strategic issues, ranging from leadership, innovation, education and entrepreneurship to social impact for global society.
This award also marks recognition of Prime Smart’s journey in building an educational ecosystem focused not only on academic achievement, but also on character formation, individual capability development, and equal access to education for all learners.
The forum was attended by several international figures, including the Lord Mayor of Oxford, Cllr Chewe Munkonge; House of Lords member Lord Brennan KC; Kenyan Member of Parliament Hon Samson Ndindi Nyoro; Cllr Lubna Arshad; former British Member of Parliament Virendra Sharma; and Natasha Hart MBE, alongside leaders and award recipients from various countries.
Irawan Febianto said the award was not merely a personal achievement, but a mandate to continue delivering educational innovations capable of answering the challenges of the times.
He added that developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) must be balanced with the strengthening of human values, empathy and inclusive education so that technology truly benefits all learners.
“This award is not only an achievement, but also a mandate to keep presenting educational innovation relevant to future challenges. Amid the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI), we believe technology must go hand in hand with human values, compassion and inclusive education,” he said.
Irawan hopes the international recognition can serve as motivation to continue strengthening contributions to the advancement of Indonesian education, as well as opening opportunities for collaboration with various institutions, both nationally and globally.
The recognition achieved on the international stage signals that inclusive education practices developing in Indonesia have the potential to serve as a reference in realising a fairer, higher-quality education system ready to face future challenges towards the vision of Golden Indonesia 2045.