Nadiem Reveals Reasons for Appointing Jurist Tan and Fiona Handayani as Special Staff Ministers
JAKARTA — Former Education, Culture, Research and Technology Minister Nadiem Makarim has disclosed his reasoning for selecting Jurist Tan and Fiona Handayani to serve as special ministerial staff, despite neither possessing formal education qualifications.
Nadiem provided this explanation whilst being examined as a witness during a continued session of a suspected corruption case involving the procurement of Chromebook-based laptops, with three defendants on trial.
The defendants are: former Technology Consultant at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology Ibrahim Arief; Director of Junior Secondary Schools at the Ministry from 2020–2021 and Budget Authority Officer (KPA) Mulyatsyah; and Director of Primary Schools at the Ministry from 2020–2021 and Budget Authority Officer Sri Wahyuningsih.
“Fiona possesses expertise in the education field because of her experience at the PSPK Foundation, where she has worked on education transformation initiatives for quite some time,” Nadiem stated during proceedings at Jakarta’s Anti-Corruption Court on Tuesday, 10 March 2026.
Additionally, Nadiem referenced Fiona’s experience as part of the governor’s team in the Jakarta Provincial Government during Basuki Tjahaja Purnama’s tenure, commonly known as Ahok.
“Therefore, Fiona’s experience at PSPK demonstrates deep understanding of education transformation,” Nadiem said.
Regarding Jurist’s appointment as special staff, Nadiem explained that it stemmed from his administrative experience within ministerial structures.
“Jurist admittedly does not explicitly possess education qualifications. However, he has extensive experience at the Presidential Staff Office in educational administration. The Presidential Staff Office manages numerous matters concerning governance regulations and coordination,” Nadiem stated.
The Presidential Staff Office (KSP) handles significant responsibility for governmental regulation and inter-agency coordination.
“That is why Fiona was appointed as special staff for strategic education matters relating to school teams, whilst Jurist became special staff in governance matters,” Nadiem explained.
He emphasised that despite Jurist and Fiona lacking education sector backgrounds, their capabilities and demonstrated interest in education were entirely adequate for their positions.