President: Education Is Key to Successful Nation-Building

Jakarta (ANTARA) – President Prabowo Subianto said education plays a fundamental role in achieving national development and must therefore be managed to a high standard. He made the remarks at the inauguration of SMA Taruna Nusantara’s Cimahi campus in West Java on Friday.

“The key to successful nation-building is education. Education from the very beginning, education before birth, parental education, early childhood education, kindergarten, primary school, junior secondary school, senior secondary school and beyond,” President Prabowo said, according to a statement received in Jakarta.

Prabowo stressed the importance of responsibly safeguarding and managing the nation’s resources to support the development of high-quality education.

The President said major investment in education must be underpinned by clean management of state wealth, free from corruption, embezzlement and abuse of authority.

“We need good education, but we also need substantial investment and substantial funding. That is why the nation’s resources must be secured and protected. They must not be stolen, misappropriated or corrupted. Corruption, embezzlement and abuse of authority are, in truth, the beginning of a nation’s destruction,” he said.

He noted that intelligence must be accompanied by integrity and morality, so that people can use their abilities to benefit society and the country.

For that reason, he said, opportunities to receive a quality education should be open to all Indonesian children, regardless of economic background, ethnicity, race or religion.

The President said this commitment to equality was one of the main principles behind the establishment of SMA Taruna Nusantara, which was designed from the outset to identify the country’s brightest young people from across Indonesia.

“These outstanding young people, nurtured by this institution, will contribute, take action and bring benefits to the country; they will make discoveries for the country and create wealth for the country,” Prabowo said.