Leave Seniority Behind: MPLS Must Become a Welcoming Space for New Students
The School Environment Introduction Period (Masa Pengenalan Lingkungan Sekolah, MPLS) must not become an occasion for hazing or seniority displays between older and new students. Instead, MPLS should be cultivated as a new culture that makes schools friendly places.
That assertion was delivered by Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Abdul Mu’ti during a briefing to students participating in MPLS marking the start of the new 2026-2027 academic year at SMKN 2 Malang on Monday (13 July).
“I invite everyone to build a safe and comfortable school culture that begins with MPLS. We are striving to create schools as environments where we respect one another and care for each other,” said Abdul Mu’ti.
Abdul Mu’ti stressed that MPLS is not a ceremonial activity rooted in hazing traditions or a stage for asserting seniority, where older students commit arbitrary acts that are entirely uneducational.
The government is fully committed to transforming and eradicating the hazing tradition that has frequently surfaced, replacing it with one that is enjoyable and friendly for students.
“We want to instil a noble culture that honours our teachers, honours our parents, and honours knowledge,” he said.
He noted that students entering school today are individuals with their own potential; whatever their physical condition, they all deserve quality educational services.
Therefore, through the implementation of MPLS, we invite students from across Indonesia to use this moment as a first step towards forming noble character, discovering their own potential, and embracing a brilliant future. Let this MPLS moment serve as the starting point for all of you to look towards a noble future in your lives as students.
The Jakarta Provincial Education Office (Disdik) affirmed that the implementation of the Friendly MPLS 2026 is not merely aimed at introducing the school environment.
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) has established a number of changes in the implementation of the Friendly MPLS 2026.
Minister Abdul Mu’ti emphasised that MPLS 2026 must be free of violence, pursuant to Permendikdasmen Number 12 of 2026, in order to create an inclusive school environment.
The implementation of MPLS, which falls close to National Children’s Day, should be used as a moment to strengthen a school culture that is safe, comfortable, and free from violence.