Minister of Basic and Secondary Education Permits School Revitalisation in Accordance with Local Wisdom

Many people in Jakarta view all of Indonesia through the lens of Jakarta’s standards. So when a school has wooden walls, it is considered below standard.

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Minister of Basic and Secondary Education (Mendikdasmen) Abdul Mu’ti has permitted the selection of materials in school revitalisation processes to be adjusted according to local wisdom in the school’s region.

He assessed that standards for building material selection in school revitalisation in each region cannot be uniformly applied to Jakarta standards, and therefore society needs to view the programme’s implementation from multiple perspectives.

“Many people in Jakarta view all of Indonesia as being on Jakarta’s scale. So when a school has wooden walls, it’s considered below standard,” said Minister Abdul Mu’ti in Jakarta on Monday.

He emphasised that the Mendikdasmen’s school revitalisation policy permits schools to maintain local wisdom and cultural identity of their respective regions.

“If the local wisdom is based on wood, then don’t force cement, bricks, or walls, because that is local wisdom. So we do accommodate that local wisdom,” said Minister Abdul Mu’ti.

He also added that his ministry pays attention to school building locations, particularly in forest regions.

“In cases like these, sometimes only snapshots emerge to the surface, but what actually happens on the ground, not many people know. Because again, we often view problems from Jakarta rather than going directly to the regions,” said Minister Abdul Mu’ti.

For context, according to the National Education Museum website, local wisdom is a viewpoint or idea of value that is embedded, followed, and transmitted down through generations by local communities as it generally reflects customs, local knowledge, and ethics.