P2G Rejects Presidential Directive for Schools to Teach French
The Association of Educators and Teachers (P2G) has rejected President Prabowo Subianto’s directive requiring Indonesian schools to teach French. National Coordinator Satriwan Salim described the instruction as unclear and unplanned, appearing to be mere diplomatic lip service.
“Without warning, the President ordered all schools across all levels to teach French to students, leaving teachers and pupils astonished and confused,” Satriwan stated in a written statement on Sunday, 30 May 2026.
He highlighted Prabowo’s tendency to use school language subjects as diplomatic tools. Last year, for instance, Prabowo directed schools to teach Portuguese ahead of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s state visit to Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on 23 October 2025.
Satriwan noted it was possible Prabowo might add Japanese, Mandarin, or Dutch to the curriculum following bilateral meetings with those countries. “Education management cannot be treated so lightly,” he said.
Satriwan warned the policy could disrupt Indonesia’s education ecosystem, noting that mandating French for all school levels would add new curriculum burdens, given the national curriculum’s current structure.
The directive also risks straining national teacher shortages. With 374,000 vacant teaching positions in public schools, and assuming two foreign language teachers per school for approximately 240,000 primary and secondary schools, 480,000 additional French and Portuguese teachers would be needed.
He added that even recruiting 374,000 teachers for existing vacancies has proven impossible, let alone hiring 480,000 new foreign language instructors. “Other subject teachers would be forced to teach French and Portuguese, violating professional standards and adding undue burdens,” he said.
Satriwan reminded Prabowo that French and other foreign languages like Arabic, Korean, Mandarin, German, and Japanese are already optional subjects for interested students under the national curriculum since 2006, including the current Merdeka Curriculum.
At vocational secondary schools in hospitality and tourism, non-English foreign languages are already part of specialised programmes to support students’ career readiness.
In May 2026, the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education launched a Non-English Foreign Language Certification Programme covering Arabic, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, German, and French. The initiative has already engaged over 120 vocational schools targeting 13,000 students.
P2G argued Prabowo’s directive has disrupted existing curricula. “Rather than forcing French and Portuguese in all schools, the government should urgently address poor student proficiency in English, Indonesian, and mathematics,” he said.
P2G stressed that improving foundational skills in English, Indonesian, and mathematics from primary school is urgent. Results from the 2025 Senior High School Academic Ability Test showed concerning averages: English 24.93, Mathematics 36.10, and Indonesian 55.38.
Similarly, primary and secondary school TKA results revealed Indonesian students’ basic skills fall short of minimum competencies: Indonesian at 60.14 (primary) and 60.83 (secondary); Mathematics at 43.41 (primary) and 40.35 (secondary) on a 0-100 scale.
Prabowo issued the directive during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace in Paris. He claimed bilateral relations across sectors were strong and expressed a desire to enhance educational cooperation.
“I have instructed all Indonesian schools to teach French, given future global developments,” Prabowo stated on Thursday evening, 28 May 2026, as broadcast by the Presidential Secretariat’s YouTube channel.