Gorontalo Pushes for New Sekolah Garuda School

Gorontalo’s provincial government is pressing to speed up land preparation for a new Sekolah Garuda school, presenting the project as a long-term investment in the region’s human resources.

Mohamad Dikky Sidiki, head of the economics and natural resources division at Gorontalo’s regional development planning agency, said workforce preparation must begin now. Indonesia, he said, needs people with technology and industrial skills as it seeks to become one of the world’s major economic powers.

“Indonesia needs human resources with technology and industrial capabilities in line with its target of becoming one of the world’s economic powers. If we are not prepared, those positions will certainly be filled by people from outside,” Dikky said in Gorontalo on Monday.

He said demand for skilled workers would grow as Indonesia entered a phase of industrialization and expanded its use of technology. Regions therefore could not simply wait for labor needs to emerge. They needed to prepare a generation capable of meeting them.

Dikky described Sekolah Garuda as one tool for developing students with stronger academic, scientific and technological abilities. Graduates would have opportunities to continue their studies at leading universities and could later fill professional roles in Indonesia’s strategic sectors.

The national Sekolah Menengah Atas Unggul Garuda program received its legal basis through Presidential Regulation No. 116 of 2025. The government designed it to produce high-achieving graduates, particularly in science and technology, and to prepare them for the country’s best universities. Its three pillars are widening access to quality education, serving as an incubator for future leaders, and promoting academic achievement alongside community service.

The program has two models. Sekolah Garuda Baru schools are built from scratch and managed by the central government, while Sekolah Garuda Transformasi develops existing high schools or Islamic senior high schools through enrichment programs. Gorontalo already participates through MAN Insan Cendekia Gorontalo, a Transformation school supported by IPB University. The provincial government now wants a separate New Sekolah Garuda campus for the region.

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Indonesia needs human resources with technology and industrial capabilities in line with its target of becoming one of the world’s economic powers. If we are not prepared, those positions will certainly be filled by people from outside.