Religious Affairs Minister Proposes Additional Rp24.8 Trillion Budget for Religious Education

Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar has proposed an additional budget of Rp24.8 trillion for 2026. These funds will be focused on efforts to promote equality in the quality of religious education in Indonesia.

“This budget proposal is our endeavour to ensure there is no longer any disparity between madrasahs and general schools,” the Minister stated during his remarks in Jakarta on Sunday (5/4/2026).

The Minister detailed that the additional budget proposal will be allocated to several strategic programmes, including Revitalisation of Educational Units worth Rp13.7 trillion, Digitalisation of Learning worth Rp10.9 trillion.

Additionally, Free Textbook Assistance worth Rp159 billion, and the Sekolah Unggul Garuda Transformasi worth Rp22.9 billion.

“The government must be present and provide equal attention. There must be no differential treatment between education in general schools and religious schools. Everything must be equal, because this concerns the rights of the nation’s children for their future,” he said.

One of the main focuses of this proposal is the urgent improvement of facilities and infrastructure (Sarpras). The Rp13.7 trillion revitalisation budget is planned to target 7,131 educational institutions, consisting of 6,973 madrasahs, 128 Christian schools, 13 Catholic schools, 9 Hindu schools, and 8 Buddhist schools.

The Minister highlighted the current condition of madrasah buildings, many of which still require serious repairs. According to him, the quality of Sarpras reflects the state’s commitment to religious education.