New Hope for Inclusive Education from Makassar to Morotai
In the Ibnu Umi Maktum Mosque in Bandung, small fingers move gently across pages of Braille Quran. Hundreds of visually impaired students from various special schools throughout the Greater Bandung region sit reverently, feeling each raised dot that forms letters, then words, then verses, culminating in completion during Ramadan 2026.
They do not see with their eyes. Yet the light of the Quran reaches them through fingertips full of diligence. “We may not see with our eyes, but we must not be blind in heart and spirit,” said Amien Suyitno, Director General of Islamic Education at the Ministry of Religion, who witnessed this historic moment.
This is not merely a spiritual achievement. It is evidence that inclusive education in Indonesia is progressing, slowly but surely, from Bandung to the remote eastern reaches of the nation, from grand classrooms to residents’ homes converted into emergency schools.
When the State Acts Through Scholarships
Whilst visually impaired students in Bandung celebrated their Quranic recitation, in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Governor Andi Sudirman Sulaiman was distributing scholarship assistance to 3,400 special education students throughout South Sulawesi at the Asta Cita Hall in the Governor’s Official Residence last Monday.
The 5 billion rupiah scholarship is not merely a figure. It is a manifestation of the government’s presence and responsibility towards children with special needs, those often overlooked amid the bustle of development chasing economic growth figures.
“Development must be felt by all segments of society without exception, including persons with disabilities,” said Andi Sudirman. “We hope this scholarship assistance can be utilised optimally to support the educational needs of special education students, so that in the future they can compete and contribute to regional progress.”
This programme has become a regular agenda of the South Sulawesi Provincial Government, implemented annually as a demonstration of commitment to supporting inclusive education.
Scholarship disbursement is planned to be divided across two semesters in the 2026 fiscal year, thereby helping to ease the financial burden on parents and families of students.
Scholarships are a door. But what matters more is what lies beyond that door: equal opportunity to learn, develop, and dream.