What to Know About Prabowo's Free Education Task Force
What to Know About Prabowo’s Free Education Task Force
Reporter
September 23, 2026 | 10:01 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto held a meeting with his aides today to discuss his free public education bid. To achieve his goal, the president has established a task force to prepare the various possible funding schemes for the program, including free education for university students.
The team will be led by Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Cultural Affairs Pratikno.
The members of the task force include Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology Brian Yuliarto, who oversees higher education; Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Abdul Mu’ti, who oversees elementary and high school education; and Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar, who oversees religious education units.
The task force will also include Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi, Minister of Finance Suahasil Nazara, and several others.
“The President has instructed for a more in-depth study to be conducted,” said Minister Brian Yuliarto in a press conference at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday, September 23, 2026.
The team will step on the gas immediately after its formation, aiming to produce a budget estimate and possible scheme for free education within the next month. According to Minister Brian, the results of the study will be reported to Prabowo in preparation for the program.
But the minister acknowledged that the idea of free public education will take time to materialize. “Of course it will take time, we must first analyze the fiscal space, among other things,” said Brian.
President Prabowo expressed his goal to make public schools free during his speech at the 28th anniversary of the National Mandate Party (PAN). “Public education at elementary, junior high, senior high, and public universities must be free,” Prabowo said on Friday, September 18, 2026.
Prabowo stated that the funding for free education could be sourced from embezzled funds.
Read: Prabowo Expands Free Education Mandate to Kindergartens
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