Yellow Alert! Students Storm Ministry, Chant String of Demands

Students held a demonstration in front of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemendiktisaintek) office in Jakarta on Monday (4/5/2026). The action, organised to commemorate National Education Day (Hardiknas), aims to demand improvements to national education policies that are still not on target. Several demands were voiced, such as unequal access to education, high costs, and policies deemed not yet supportive of the public. This indicates that the state’s role in education has not been fully felt. In the action, dominated by students from Universitas Indonesia wearing yellow academic gowns, they carried posters and banners containing their demands. They also demanded improvements in the welfare of teachers, honorary teachers, lecturers, and education staff, as well as creating safe campus spaces free from all forms of violence, including sexual violence. The discourse on eliminating study programmes or academic majors considered irrelevant to industry needs was also criticised in this action. This is because majors deemed irrelevant in Indonesia might be needed abroad.