North Maluku Strengthens School and Teacher Quality to Achieve SPM Targets

The North Maluku provincial government is accelerating improvements in Minimum Service Standards (SPM) in the education sector by strengthening school quality and teacher capacity. This effort aims to catch up on the current low SPM achievement levels in education. The initiative is being realised through the launch of the Model School Development Programme and the Transformational Teacher Programme, which were inaugurated on Saturday (2 May) at the Provincial Education and Culture Office, coinciding with the provincial-level National Education Day commemoration. North Maluku Governor Sherly Tjoanda Laos stated that the regional government targets raising the education SPM achievement to 80 from a score of 42 by the end of her leadership term. According to Sherly, enhancing education services is key to human resource development in the region. “Therefore, we are collaborating with the Putera Sampoerna Foundation to improve education,” said Sherly in a written statement received on Tuesday (5 May 2026). The education SPM improvement programme is being implemented through collaboration between the North Maluku Provincial Government and the Putera Sampoerna Foundation as a partner in strengthening education capacity. This collaboration is part of the Innovative Human Resources Programme initiated by the regional government. The launch event was attended by the Head of the Provincial Education and Culture Office, Abubakar Abdullah, the Head of the Provincial Inspectorate, Agus Riyanto, Senior Director of the Putera Sampoerna Foundation, Elan Merdy, as well as educators from the Sofifi area and surroundings. The cooperation began in December 2025 with profiling activities involving 400 teachers and school principals from six schools in Ternate City and Sofifi City. The activity aimed to map the initial conditions of educators as a basis for developing more targeted education quality improvement programmes. Elan stated that the profiling results serve as a reference for designing education development programmes based on real field needs. “The profiling activities we have conducted will serve as our reference (Putera Sampoerna Foundation) and the North Maluku Provincial Government for planning subsequent education innovation programmes tailored to the needs of teachers, school leaders, and students. So it’s not just assumptions,” said Elan. Based on the mapping results, the initial phase programme will be implemented at SMAN 5 Tidore Islands and SMAN 10 Ternate City as pilot schools. “These two schools will become pilot projects in Sofifi City and Ternate City,” said Sherly. Through the Model School Development Programme or Lighthouse School Programme, the government targets comprehensive school quality improvements to serve as references for other nearby schools. The programme is planned to run for three years until 2028. In addition, the Transformational Teacher Programme is being implemented involving 75 teachers and 20 school managements from Ternate City, as well as 100 teachers and 21 school managements from Sofifi City. The programme focuses on strengthening data-based school leadership and improving teacher competencies. “To run this programme, we need teachers who are committed to continuous learning and school principals who can lead with data. Thus, we can bring change to education in North Maluku Province,” said Elan. The North Maluku Provincial Government views strengthening education SPM as the foundation for sustainable human resource development and supporting improved community welfare in the region.