Not Just Curriculum, DPR to Discuss LGBTQ in National Education System Bill

The government, through the Ministry of Religious Affairs, will incorporate educational material on preventing the phenomenon of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) sexual orientation into school teaching materials starting this year. Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs Romo Muhammad Syafi’i stated that the move to begin including material on preventing the spread of LGBTQ into the curriculum for the 2026/2027 academic year is a follow-up to Presidential Regulation 111/2025 on the General Policy for State Defence. Additionally, the DPR will discuss the LGBTQ phenomenon during deliberations on the Draft Law on the National Education System (RUU Sisdiknas). Deputy Speaker of the DPR Saan Mustopa said the proposal could serve as input in the curriculum discussion. Saan stated that the proposal could be discussed during the deliberations on the RUU Sisdiknas, which is currently underway in the DPR. He noted that all input related to the curriculum would be considered. Saan assessed that providing understanding regarding LGBTQ prevention from primary school level is important as part of early education. Previously, Deputy Minister Romo Muhammad Syafi’i stated that the LGBTQ prevention material would be inserted into the learning process within the existing curriculum for students from grade IV of primary school through to senior high school. He explained that the material would not discuss the detailed practices of its spread in the field, but would focus on providing children with understanding so they do not become involved in the LGBTQ cultural movement, while equipping them with knowledge of attitudes that can serve as a fortress to prevent them from falling into it. Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Pratikno stated that the policy implementation refers to Government Regulation 111/2025, which designates the issue as a form of non-military threat. The DPR, through its commission overseeing education, previously cautioned the government to be careful and wise in incorporating LGBTQ prevention material into the curriculum, especially for primary schools. Deputy Chair of Commission X Lalu Hadrian Irfani noted that the material must be simple and consider child development. He also requested that the prevention material be compiled based on facts and consider the child’s developmental situation, though he opined that sexual orientation cannot be prevented through a curriculum. The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) expressed support for the government’s plan. MUI Fatwa Division Chair Prof. KH Asrorun Niam Sholeh assessed it as a tangible manifestation of the state’s presence in fortifying the morals and mentality of the younger generation from potential sexual deviance. He stated that same-sex sexual orientation is not innate or a permanent part of human rights, and referred to MUI Fatwa Number 57 of 2014, which deems homosexual practices and sodomy as forbidden and categorised as criminal acts. Meanwhile, the Coalition for Freedom of Association cautioned the state against such efforts.