Teachers' Association Responds to Prabowo's Proposal to Make French Mandatory in Schools

The Teachers’ Association (P2G) has spoken out against President Prabowo Subianto’s plan to make French a compulsory subject in Indonesian schools. The teachers’ organisation argues that education policy cannot be shaped solely by diplomatic momentum without clear needs assessment. P2G Coordinator Satriwan Salim questioned the basis of the directive, noting the lack of detailed explanation regarding the urgency or necessity of French language learning for all Indonesian students. ‘If President Prabowo holds another bilateral meeting with Japan and adds Japanese to the curriculum, or Chinese after meeting China, or Dutch after returning from the Netherlands, managing education cannot be this casual,’ Salim stated in a press release on Friday (29 May). He added that the proposal does not align with the education development priorities outlined in the National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) 2025-2029. Therefore, P2G believes teaching French or Portuguese is not an urgent priority to be mandated across all education levels. Salim warned that making French compulsory from primary to senior high school could add to the already heavy curriculum burden, requiring a significant increase in teachers. ‘Assuming two French and Portuguese teachers per school, with approximately 240,000 primary to senior high schools, 480,000 foreign language teachers would be needed,’ he explained. Salim noted that French is not new to Indonesia’s education system. Alongside other foreign languages like Arabic, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, and German, French has long been offered as an optional subject under both the 2006 curriculum and the current Merdeka Curriculum. In some vocational high schools (SMK), particularly in hospitality and tourism, non-English foreign languages are already part of specialised programmes to meet industry needs. Salim also revealed that the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (Kemdikdasmen) is preparing a Non-English Foreign Language Certification Programme covering Arabic, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, German, and French. ‘In May 2026, Kemdikdasmen plans to launch the Non-English Foreign Language Certification Programme, which has already been opened to over 120 vocational high schools targeting 13,000 students,’ he said. P2G believes the government should first address students’ foundational skills, which are still lagging, particularly in Indonesian, English, and Mathematics. Salim cited the 2025 Senior High School Academic Ability Test (TKA) results showing average scores of 24.93 for English, 36.10 for Mathematics, and 55.38 for Indonesian. ‘Rather than mandating French and Portuguese across all school levels, the government should prioritise improving students’ poor performance in mathematics, English, and Indonesian,’ he said. Previously, Prabowo announced his intention to introduce French at all school levels during a state visit to France. Speaking at the Élysée Palace in Paris on Thursday (28 May), the head of state said Indonesia-France relations are at a strong stage and should be expanded, including in education, science, and technology. ‘I have instructed that all Indonesian schools must teach French, given future global developments,’ Prabowo stated.