Ministry of Higher Education's Call: Walk or Cycle to Campus

The Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemendiktisaintek) has urged all campus community members not to use private vehicles amid the global crisis. Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Brian Yuliarto has encouraged students and lecturers to cycle or walk to campus. “In the past, we were actually accustomed to walking or cycling. Perhaps we are expected to get used to it again,” said Brian at the Kemendiktisaintek office in South Jakarta on Monday, 6 April 2026. According to Brian, walking or cycling does not mean a drop in social status. Brian stated that in advanced countries like those in Europe, walking or cycling is a normal thing. If cycling with a manual pedal is too strenuous, Brian encouraged the public to use electric bikes. “If it’s heavy, like there’s an uphill, you can use an electric bike. That helps in changing mobility from dependence on fossil fuels or subsidised fuel oil (BBM) to healthier habits,” said Brian. The call to walk and cycle previously also came from the Minister of Basic and Secondary Education Abdul Mu’ti. He urged schoolchildren living close to school to simply walk or cycle. “If I may urge, parents should not excessively deliver their children with private vehicles like that,” said Mu’ti when met at the Kemendikdasmen office in South Jakarta on Wednesday, 1 April 2026. “If the distance is not far, cycle or walk, as long as it’s safe and comfortable.” Mu’ti conveyed this call amid the work-from-home policy targeted at civil servants (ASN). That policy is part of the government’s efforts to save energy in response to global dynamics. Mu’ti also hopes that local governments can increase facilities for pedestrians or cycling lanes. Adequate local infrastructure, he said, could greatly help the public to adopt environmentally friendly transportation. “In the past, Jakarta had them. Now it’s a shame they have been removed. Cycling is healthier. There’s physical movement,” he said.