Minister Brian Yuliarto: Garuda School Students Must Become Global Fighters

Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Mendiktisaintek) Brian Yuliarto has called on students and graduates of the Garuda School programme to cultivate a resilient, fighting spirit in order to win the global competition for talent. “I always remind them that complaining is not part of a fighter’s spirit. If there is a difficulty, it is not to be complained about, but to be solved,” he said during the Orientation Programme for the Garuda Transformation Superior High School Batch 2026 in Jakarta on Thursday.

Brian stated that the current global landscape is a battle of talent between nations, and Indonesia wants its talents to be able to penetrate and break through this global competition. He stressed that the students being prepared through the Garuda School ecosystem and the Garuda Scholarship bear a great responsibility as representatives of Indonesia’s future.

To produce these ‘fighters’ on a massive and structured scale, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology is accelerating the expansion of the elite education ecosystem. As of 2026, the ministry has established 42 transformed Garuda Schools and is building 20 new institutions called SMA Unggul Garuda (Garuda Superior High Schools). Four of these new schools have been completed and are ready to operate in strategic locations: East Belitung (Bangka Belitung), Bulungan (North Kalimantan), South Konawe (Southeast Sulawesi), and South Central Timor (East Nusa Tenggara). These four pioneer schools will commence the new academic year this year, accommodating 301 top students.