PDIP Warns Prabowo Against Arbitrary Foreign Language Policies in Schools

PDIP lawmaker Andreas Hugo Pareira has cautioned President Prabowo Subianto against haphazardly proposing to mandate French as a compulsory subject across all school levels. According to Andreas, school subjects, including languages, are already regulated under the curriculum, despite French being an international lingua franca.

“I believe the curriculum already specifies which languages are important,” said the former member of the House of Representatives’ Education Committee during his party’s technical training session in Jakarta on Saturday (30 May).

Therefore, Andreas hopes that in future, Prabowo will not hastily instruct language learning following meetings with foreign leaders. “So, don’t make a language compulsory just because you’ve met a foreign leader,” he said.

Currently, Andreas added, English is the only compulsory language subject in schools. French could be an optional subject for some schools, provided it is not made mandatory.

“But if it becomes mandatory, I think we need to prioritise English and strengthen Indonesian, which is the most crucial aspect of language education,” he said.

Andreas viewed the president’s directive to mandate French in schools as diplomatic rhetoric. However, he said the language could be an optional subject for schools with sufficient resources.

“French as an elective is fine, as are Mandarin, Japanese, and other languages. These could be additional curriculum options for students,” he said.

Previously, Prabowo expressed his desire for French to be taught at all school levels during his state visit to France.

During his speech at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Thursday (28 May), the head of state said the relationship between Indonesia and France is currently in a strong phase and needs to be expanded, including in education, science, and technology.

“I have instructed that all school levels in Indonesia must learn French, in view of future global developments,” Prabowo said.