SPMB 2026/2027 Changes Allow Six-Year-Olds to Enrol in Primary School

The Ministry of Education, Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) has revised the rules for the School Admission of New Students (SPMB) 2026. Six-year-old children will still be eligible to enrol in primary school under SPMB 2026. According to detikEdu, the provision is set out in Ministerial Regulation on Primary and Secondary Education (Permendikdasmen) Number 3 of 2025. Under the rule, seven-year-olds as of July 1 are a priority for admission. However, the government emphasises that being seven is not a mandatory condition to enter primary school. In addition, the age limit may be waived to 5 years 6 months as of July 1 of the current year for prospective pupils who have exceptional intelligence and/or talents and psychological readiness. This must be evidenced by a written recommendation from a professional psychologist; or by the school’s council of teachers for the relevant education unit if a psychologist is not available. Director General for Early Childhood Education, Basic Education, and Non-Formal and Informal Education at the Ministry, Gogot Suharwoto, explained that the age exemption for entering primary school essentially prioritises the child’s readiness to learn at primary level. “So for the primary school admissions (SPMB SD) there is an age exemption for children, but there is a caveat. The key is that the child is ready to engage with primary schooling,” he said, during the signing of a joint RAMAH 2026/2027 SPMB commitment at the Ministry in Central Jakarta, on Thursday (21 May 2026). “If they are younger than the threshold, there must be a certificate stating that the child is indeed ready. From whom? From an expert. From the expert, the trusted psychologist in the local area will know who has authority or who knows, and then can be admitted to the school,” he added. Not Required to Have a TK Diploma — No Calistung Test Gogot emphasised that the SPMB rules do not require new admissions to primary school to graduate and possess a TK, RA, or equivalent diploma. Furthermore, Permendikdasmen SPMB also states that a reading, writing, and counting test (calistung) or other tests are not requirements for the SPMB for new first-year pupils in SD. “So not necessarily 7 years old, not necessarily have a TK diploma, no calistung test,” he said. Entering the National Education System Bill (RUU Sisdiknas) Meanwhile, Deputy Chair of Commission X of the Indonesian DPR, Himmatul Aliyah, stated that the latest National Education System Bill (RUU Sisdiknas) will also set rules to ensure age is no longer a barrier for children entering primary education, considering readiness. “In the bill we are revising, we have already established that age should no longer obstruct their entry into the education environment,” she said at the RAMAH 2026/2027 SPMB commitment signing at the ministry. “There are those who are ready, so we should not block them anymore,” she added. To accommodate children who are ready to enter primary school, parents can prepare supporting documents. These documents will be verified as part of a transparent and accountable SPMB implementation. “We emphasise that all requirements are verified professionally based on accurate data to prevent manipulation,” she said. Read the full article at detikEdu