Minister: MSUS Building Construction Fully Funded by Muhammadiyah

Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Abdul Mu’ti has expressed appreciation for Muhammadiyah members who independently financed 100 per cent of the construction of the new Muhammadiyah Sapen Universal School (MSUS) building, calling it a form of public participation in the provision of education in Indonesia. “The establishment of MSUS, which was 100 per cent funded by Muhammadiyah without requesting revitalisation funds, demonstrates public participation in education delivery,” Mu’ti said during an event at MSUS in Bantul Regency, Yogyakarta Special Region, on Sunday. According to him, the presence of MSUS represents one of Muhammadiyah’s commitments to providing excellent and high-quality educational services for the community. “This is in line with our vision of quality education for all with universal participation and aligns with the fourth point of the President’s Asta Cita mission,” he stated. Mu’ti said he had received information that MSUS would be developed by combining the national curriculum with various international content without abandoning the cultural roots of the Yogyakarta community. On the occasion, he also highlighted the challenges facing the national education sector, which is still confronted with quality gaps between educational units, both public and private. According to him, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education will continue efforts to maintain the quality of education providers that already have good standards, while providing affirmation to educational units whose quality still needs improvement. “This is our concern. Our problem at the national level is not only within Muhammadiyah, but also in public schools, where there are still quality gaps between one region and another,” he said. As an effort to address this issue, the Ministry has established a directorate and assigned special staff to focus on handling education services, especially in disadvantaged, frontier, and outermost regions as well as schools with facilities that are far from ideal. “This year we are prioritising schools in disaster-affected areas, the 3T regions, and severely damaged schools, so that the problem of inequality can be overcome gradually,” he said.