Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education deploys education volunteers to help out-of-school children return to learning

The Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) has deployed hundreds of Education Volunteers to reach out and ensure out-of-school children (ATS) return to appropriate education services. Director of Nonformal and Informal Education (PNFI) Kemendikdasmen, I Gusti Made Ardana, said the Education Volunteers Programme plays a crucial role as the frontline in ensuring children not reached by education services can regain their right to learn. “The Education Volunteers Programme is part of community-based outreach efforts. Volunteers not only conduct data collection but also ensure children not reached are reconnected with appropriate and sustainable education services,” Made said in Jakarta on Friday. He further mentioned the 10 regencies serving as the programme’s focus this year: Sampang Regency in East Java, Ogan Komering Ilir in South Sumatra, Central Lampung in Lampung, Mimika in Central Papua, Central Maluku in Maluku. The other five regencies are Jeneponto in South Sulawesi, Agam in West Sumatra, South Tapanuli in North Sumatra, Aceh Tamiang in Aceh, and Indramayu in West Java. The programme also aims to provide accurate, up-to-date, and integrated ATS data as a basis for national and regional education policy formulation. Made also stated that apart from data collection, education volunteers are encouraged to identify the underlying causes of children not attending school, map their learning needs, and strengthen community advocacy on the importance of education for every child. “We hope volunteers can build good communication with families and the child’s surrounding environment. The programme’s success is not only measured by the number of children registered but by how many truly regain their right to learn and have a better future,” Made said. “This data is preliminary and requires further field verification. We hope through the work of education volunteers, children not reached by education services can be promptly registered and returned to educational institutions, whether formal or non-formal,” he added. For information, the 2026 Education Volunteers Programme is implemented through collaboration with various partner organisations and education volunteers across 10 regencies as part of strengthening the universal participation movement in addressing ATS in Indonesia. This year, the programme involves 261 education volunteers.