Key Points from Gibran's PHPU Hearing: Revealing the Basis for High School Equivalence Letter
The trial for case number 01/PHPU.PRES-XXIV/2026, questioning the high school (SMA) equivalence of Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka at the Constitutional Court (MK), has revealed several interesting facts.
On Friday, 2 October 2026, representatives from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen), the Education Attaché of the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore, and the Education Attaché of the Indonesian Embassy in Australia were summoned to provide testimony.
CNN Indonesia summarises several points revealed during the hearing.
No Archives of Gibran’s Educational Documents
During the trial, the Education Attachés from the Indonesian Embassies in Singapore and Australia revealed that they do not possess any records or educational documents pertaining to Gibran.
The Education Attaché in Singapore, Nur Aeni Ariyanti, stated that her office has no records regarding Gibran’s educational levels in Singapore.
“Madam Attaché, can you add what records the Embassy holds regarding the educational levels undertaken by Mr Gibran?” asked the Vice Chairman of the Constitutional Court, Saldi Isra, presiding over the session on Friday (2/10).
“With your permission, Your Honour, after searching existing documents, we found no documents stored at the Indonesian Embassy, Your Honour,” replied Nur Aeni.
“Alright. That includes both upon entry and after leaving Singapore, correct? Because the issue concerns education equivalent to high school level. So, there are no documents at the Embassy?” Saldi continued to confirm.
“That is correct,” replied Nur Aeni.
Similarly, the Education Attaché for the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra, Australia, represented by Yuli Rahmawati, also stated they held no documents regarding Gibran’s education.
“What documents does our Embassy hold, particularly in the education attaché office? For example, certificates, arrival and departure dates, or anything known to the Embassy regarding the educational process undertaken by Mr Gibran there?” Saldi asked.
“Thank you, Your Honour. Based on an archive search, both in hard copy and soft copy, we have no applications submitted by Mr Gibran. Thank you,” said Yuli.
Gibran’s Educational Equivalence Letter
During this hearing, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education also explained the basis for issuing the high school (SLTA) equivalence letter.
The Director General of Early Childhood, Primary, and Non-Formal/Informal Education at the Ministry, Gogot Suharwoto, stated that Gibran’s overseas educational history was deemed to be consistent with the Accounting and Finance expertise programme at the Vocational High School (SMK) level.
He noted that Gibran’s application for educational equivalence was submitted online on 6 August 2019. After the application was received, the equivalence service team at the Secretariat of the Directorate General of Primary and Secondary Education verified the completeness and suitability of the required documents.
The document requirements are stipulated in the Director General’s Decree Number: 33/MPK/D/KS Year 2000, dated 18 January 2018. At least eight documents were required, including a 4x6 passport photo, passport, a letter of statement from the local Indonesian representative and/or the foreign country’s representative in Indonesia, and/or a letter from the original overseas school.
“The fourth is the diploma/certificate if the educational institution issues one. The fifth is the transcript. The sixth is the curriculum structure; this document is not required if the original school provides it on its official website. The seventh is the birth certificate. The eighth is the report cards for grades 1, 2, and 3 of Junior or Senior High School, or scans of the last three years of Primary School, depending on the proposed equivalence,” Gogot explained.
Gogot stated that the application files were subsequently submitted to an assessment team for verification and substantive evaluation of learning outcomes. The service mechanism requires document verification by an assessment team.
Before the issuance of the equivalence letter, the assessment team conducted an evaluation based on the overall educational history at Orchid Park Secondary School and UTS Insearch, Australia. Gibran’s educational history was found to be compatible with the Accounting and Finance programme at the Vocational High School level.
“It can be concluded that based on the comparison of learning outcomes or graduation competency standards, the educational history was deemed to be consistent with the Accounting and Finance expertise programme at the Vocational High School level,” stated Gogot.
Not a Diploma
Constitutional Court judges delved into the ‘Certificate of Attendance’ and the transcripts submitted by Gibran when registering as a Vice Presidential candidate for 2024-2029.
A member of the assessment and verification team from the Ministry, Taufiq Damarjati, stated that they only received a Certificate of Attendance from UTS Insearch (now UTS College) in Sydney, Australia.
“Regarding the documents from Insearch, what other forms of certificates did you receive besides this one? Specifically, this one titled ‘Insearch Certificate of Attendance’. Were there any other certificates submitted to the Ministry?” asked Vice Chairman Saldi Isra during the hearing for case number 01/PHPU.PRES-XXIV/2026 regarding the 2024 Presidential and Vice Presidential Election Results Dispute on Friday (2/10).
“Thank you, Your Honour. Aside from the Certificate of Attendance, there were no other certificates, Your Honour,” replied Taufiq.