Setara Institute: Deploying Military Cadets to 'Sekolah Rakyat' is Dangerous

The Setara Institute has strongly criticised the government’s plan to deploy cadets from the Indonesian Military Academy (Akmil) to train students at the newly established ‘Sekolah Rakyat’ (People’s Schools), calling it a dangerous precedent that blurs the lines between civilian and military roles. Hendardi, Chairman of the Setara Institute’s National Council, stated that the policy reflects a worrying trend under President Prabowo Subianto’s administration of strengthening the military’s role in civilian sectors. He argued that while the Sekolah Rakyat programme is a positive initiative for socially and economically vulnerable communities, it requires a pedagogical, humanistic, and participatory approach grounded in educational science and social empowerment, not military involvement.

Hendardi emphasised that there is no objective need to justify the involvement of military cadets, even if the stated goal is to instil discipline, nationalism, and patriotism. He argued that discipline is not synonymous with militarism and that nationalistic values should not be exclusively associated with the military. The Setara Institute urged the government not to blur the boundaries between civilian and military domains in the education sector.