Prabowo and Modi Announce 2026-2027 as Tagore-Dewantara Year

Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Prabowo Subiability and Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi have announced that the years 2026-2027 will be designated as the year of Indian-Indonesian educational and cultural diplomacy, referred to as the ‘Year of Tagore-Dewantara’. This refers to the great Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore and the Father of Indonesian Education, Ki Hajar Dewantara.

In a joint statement with President Prabowo, PM Modi reaffirmed the bond of friendship between the educational figures of the two nations, which has endured for approximately 100 years, dating back to Tagore’s visit to Taman Siswa in Yogyakarta and his meeting with Ki Hajar Dewantara in August 1927.

For Modi, Tagore’s historic visit to Taman Siswa a century ago has contributed significantly to the people-to-people relations between the two countries, which were established even before Indonesia and India gained independence.

“Our two countries will celebrate with great enthusiasm the historic visit of Rabindranath one hundred years ago to Indonesia, (where he met) Ki Hadjar Dewantara, a great figure from Indonesia who was Indonesia’s first Minister of Education. He contributed significantly to development in Indonesia, and his views on the world of education have had a major impact on the world. Therefore, we will commemorate 100 years of Ki Hadjar Dewantara, the Year of Educational Diplomacy,” said PM Modi at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Tuesday.

“These various initiatives (including the Year of Tagore-Dewantara) reflect the long-standing civilisational ties between Indonesia and India. At the same time, we are determined to increase cooperation in the fields of education, research and technology, culture, and people-to-people contact,” said President Prabowo.

During the bilateral meeting at the Merdeka Palace today, President Prabowo and PM Modi agreed to enhance cooperation between the two nations across various sectors, particularly in education.

“In the field of education, both Prime Minister Modi and I support the establishment of Indian Institutes of Management campuses and also the possibility of establishing Indian Institutes of Technology in Indonesia,” said President Prabowo.

“We also support increasing the number of Indonesian students studying in India,” the President added.