Integrated National Schools: Bringing Quality Education Services Closer

Quality education services are a fundamental right of every citizen. Quality education is also a constitutional mandate that must be fulfilled to enhance the nation’s intellect. Therefore, the government is committed to providing quality education services that reach all corners of the country. This commitment is crucial to addressing the disparity in education quality between regions and ensuring equal access to education.

As part of the solution to these issues, the government has established Sekolah Unggul Garuda and Sekolah Rakyat. Most recently, the government, through the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen), launched the Sekolah Nasional Terintegrasi (SNT) programme. The launch of SNT was carried out by the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Abdul Mu’ti, during a media briefing on Monday (20/7).

During the media briefing, the minister launched 17 SNT schools spread across 13 provinces. These SNT schools, located in 17 regencies/cities, will begin operations in the 2026/2027 academic year. In the initial phase, SNT will serve junior and senior high school levels with an integrated learning and governance system. Unlike regular schools, the operation of all SNT schools is directly controlled by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.

All officially operating SNT schools have also completed the new student admission system (SPMB) and the school environment orientation period (MPLS). In addition to these 17 SNT schools, there are 20 more in 15 provinces currently undergoing infrastructure development. In line with President Prabowo Subianto’s directive, the construction of SNT schools in each regency/city is being carried out in stages. The target is to have 500 SNT schools operational by 2029.

The presence of SNT is crucial because, according to Kemendikdasmen data as of June 2025, the number of quality junior and senior high schools across all sub-districts only reached 4% (263 out of 7,288 sub-districts). Indicators used include the school’s superior accreditation status, literacy and numeracy achievements, and student percentages. Furthermore, there are still 305 sub-districts without junior high school services and 752 sub-districts without senior high school services.

Kemendikdasmen data also shows that quality or superior schools are still predominantly located in Java. The most extreme condition is in Papua, where there are only four quality schools spread across three sub-districts. This reality cannot be ignored. Affirmative policy intervention is necessary to realise equitable quality education across the nation. In this context, the presence of quality education services through SNT becomes a necessity.

REGULATORY GUARANTEE

The implementation of SNT is a specific mandate from the President to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education. The regulatory basis is Presidential Instruction (Inpres) Number 10 of 2026 concerning the Acceleration of Quality Improvement through the Integrated National School Programme. Subsequently, Kemendikdasmen is tasked with ensuring that the implementation, establishment, operation, and development of SNT proceed well and sustainably.

From a regulatory perspective, SNT differs from Sekolah Unggul Garuda (SUG) and Sekolah Rakyat (SR). SUG is a mandate from the President to the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology based on Inpres Number 7 of 2025. SNT also differs from SR, which is a presidential mandate to the Ministry of Social Affairs based on Inpres Number 8 of 2025.

Apart from regulatory differences, the target students for SNT also differ from SUG and SR. With a target of only 20 SUG schools and 80 Garuda Transformation schools by 2029, the services of these elite schools certainly cannot reach all corners of the country. SUG and Garuda Transformation services also only target senior high school students with exceptional academic qualifications.

Meanwhile, SR focuses on serving children from extremely poor families, street children, and the underprivileged. These social groups typically come from the first and second deciles based on the National Socio-Economic Single Data (DTSEN). The selection of children entering SR is conducted through field verification by social facilitators, the Social Affairs Office, and the Central Statistics Agency (BPS). Since its launch, only 166 SR units have been operating in 141 regencies/cities.

Another difference is that SUG and SR are boarding school systems. Children from various regions who pass the selection for SUG and SR are required to live in dormitories. In contrast, SNT provides non-boarding quality education services. Children who pass the selection come from the area surrounding the SNT. Thus, SNT aims to bring quality education services closer to children in the regions without requiring them to live in dormitories. Children studying at SNT can live at home with their beloved families.

A characteristic that also distinguishes SNT from SUG and SR is its integrated learning and governance system. SNT serves students from grades VII to XII (junior and senior high school ages) in one integrated and sustainable education system. In short, SNT aims to realise national education transformation through equitable quality services and to integrate all levels of primary and secondary education into a continuous, effective, and efficient learning ecosystem.

THREE TRANSFORMATIONS

To provide quality education services in every regency/city, SNT is designed with three fundamental transformations. These three transformations are infrastructure, human resources, and character and learning. First, infrastructure transformation. In this aspect, SNT is built from the outset with superior facilities to support world-class learning.

The school environment is designed to be ASRI (safe, healthy, clean, and beautiful) as proclaimed.