Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education: Early Childhood Education Participation Rate Rises to 88 Per Cent

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) has stated that strengthened interventions, through both advocacy and socialisation, have successfully increased the School Participation Rate (APS) for Early Childhood Education (PAUD) to 88.38 per cent across 146 districts and cities in 2025.

Gogot Suharwoto, the Director General of Early Childhood, Primary, and Non-Formal and Informal Education at Kemendikdasmen, noted that these interventions aim not only to boost PAUD participation rates—which stood at 74.15 per cent in 2024—but also to accelerate the implementation of the 13-year Compulsory Education policy, which includes one year of pre-school.

“The interventions carried out by the PAUD Directorate in districts and cities are being conducted gradually until 2029. To date, 146 districts/cities have been reached, resulting in the increase of the participation rate for ages 5-6 (pre-school) from 74.15 per cent in 2024 to 88.38 per cent in 2025,” Gogot stated in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Furthermore, the Ministry has conducted advocacy, developed a grand design for the one-year pre-school compulsory education, and formulated implementation strategy drafts for regional levels. Technical guidelines have also been provided to local governments to guide the acceleration of the 13-year compulsory education programme.

These interventions are being implemented incrementally in collaboration with local governments, district/city education offices, and ‘Bunda PAUD’ (PAUD ambassadors).

“These efforts will continue to build a paradigm among the community and regional stakeholders regarding the importance of early childhood education. This ensures that the public and stakeholders understand the urgent need for proper stimulation during a child’s golden age, allowing them to grow and develop optimally to become the ‘Golden Generation’ of 2045,” said Gogot.

This initiative serves as a strategic step to strengthen the foundation of national education from an early age. With the inclusion of PAUD in the compulsory education scheme, the state is obligated to provide full support in terms of regulation, financing, and quality assurance of services. Additionally, all future PAUD services are designed to be part of a standardised and formalised national education system.