Khofifah affirms East Java as national education benchmark
Surabaya (ANTARA) - East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa has affirmed her commitment to strengthening the province’s position as a national benchmark for education through the development of inclusive, high-quality, and impactful education in commemoration of National Education Day (Hardiknas) 2026.
“Through the Jatim Cerdas programme, equitable access to education is the top priority in human resource development in East Java,” Khofifah said in Surabaya on Saturday.
She stated that the national theme for Hardiknas 2026, Strengthening Universal Participation to Realise Quality Education for All, aligns with East Java Province’s theme Jatim Cerdas – Impactful Education, Realising Superior and Competitive Human Resources.
“We do not want a single child in East Java to be left behind in their education. Everyone must have equal access and opportunities up to secondary education,” she said.
To that end, Khofifah has instructed all levels of the administration to actively identify children who are not yet in school so they can return to education without burden, especially for underprivileged families.
As a demonstration of this commitment, the East Java Provincial Government (Pemprov) continues to strengthen the equitable distribution of educational facilities and infrastructure, improve the quality of learning facilities, and create clean, tidy, comfortable, and inspiring school environments.
In support of impactful education, East Java also implements restrictions on gadget use in school environments during the learning process. This policy aims to enhance learning concentration, strengthen social interactions, and build a culture of active classroom discussions.
Education in East Java also contributes to efforts to reduce plastic waste through the eco-friendly school movement.
Various innovative programmes continue to be developed, including the Innovative Food Security School (Sikap) programme, which has been implemented in 146 public and private SMA, SMK, and SLB; the East Java Innovative Education Summit (Ejies); the development of electric vehicles in SMK; the double track SMA programme for entrepreneurship; and the Honorary Teacher Economic Empowerment Programme (Proteg).
In addition, East Java has once again recorded achievements in the 2026 National Selection Based on Achievements (SNBP).
As many as 29,046 students from East Java have been accepted into state universities, making it the province with the highest number of accepted students nationally for seven consecutive years since 2019.
“This achievement affirms that East Java is a benchmark for education and achievement. It also serves as motivation for students to continue improving their academic and non-academic accomplishments,” Khofifah said.
She added that this success is inseparable from the mapping strategies carried out by schools and teachers in providing insights into opportunities and the competitiveness of study programmes for students.
“The mapping conducted by schools provides clear direction for students in making choices, thereby increasing their chances of acceptance,” she said.
Furthermore, East Java is the province with the highest number of Indonesia Smart Card for Higher Education (KIP-K) recipients who passed the SNBP. Of 40,213 registrants, 8,915 students were accepted.
In the vocational field, East Java also clinched the overall championship in the National Student Competency Competition (LKS) for three consecutive years.
“East Java has achieved a hat-trick of overall championships in LKS for three years in a row. This is not by chance, but the result of a structured and sustainable coaching system. Therefore, the Jatim Cerdas vision must be interpreted more broadly, that intelligence must have real impact,” Khofifah stated.