Minister of Basic and Secondary Education Urges Students with Nearby Homes to Cycle to School
JAKARTA – The Minister of Basic and Secondary Education (Mendikdasmen), Abdul Mu’ti, has urged students to make use of bicycles and walking if the distance from their homes to school is short. This is to support the energy efficiency drive being promoted by President Prabowo Subianto.
He considers the widespread habit of cycling among the public during the Covid-19 pandemic as a good practice that should be continued. Especially in the current period of threats from an oil crisis due to wars in Gulf countries and the Middle East.
“So, for example, we urge that if homes are close to school and if it is indeed safe and comfortable, I think there’s no harm in walking or returning to the cycling habit during Covid. Why not continue that habit? It’s healthy, saves energy, and is environmentally friendly,” said Mendikdasmen Mu’ti on Monday (30/3/2026).
He also urged schools to promote waste recycling activities together with students. So that the waste in the school environment can be processed and turned into an eco-friendly energy source.
In addition, Mu’ti urged local governments to improve public transport services in their respective areas, enabling students to use public transport as an option for getting to school. This is because Mu’ti noted that currently students tend to use motorbikes to go to school due to the limited reach of public transport services in their residential areas.
“And now there’s a tendency for some children to feel more comfortable using motorbikes than public transport. In my view, if there is safe and comfortable public transport, these children can go to school using public transport. That’s more energy-efficient and reduces pollution. This is a challenge for local governments,” he said.
Previously, on Thursday (19/3/2026), Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya explained that President Prabowo Subianto instructed several of his ministers on energy efficiency targeting specific sectors so that the energy-saving policy runs on target. In a limited meeting at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, President Prabowo received reports from several ministers regarding the government’s anticipatory measures to maintain national energy resilience, especially amid threats of an oil crisis due to wars in Gulf countries and the Middle East.
“The President discussed strategic steps related to plans for energy savings in various sectors as anticipation of political dynamics in the Middle East region that could affect the stability of global energy supply and prices,” said Teddy.