DistantNews
Support us
Indonesian Education Ministry to Address Schools with Minimal New Student Enrollment
🇮🇩 Indonesia /Culture & Society

Indonesian Education Ministry to Address Schools with Minimal New Student Enrollment

From CNN Indonesia · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Indonesia's Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education will collaborate with the Ministry of Home Affairs to address schools with very few new students.
  • Data shows some schools have fewer than 100 students, with a few even below 60, prompting policy formulation.
  • The ministry will work with regional governments to consider community impact before announcing new policies for these low-enrollment schools.

Indonesia's Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education is preparing to tackle the issue of schools struggling with extremely low student enrollment. The ministry plans to convene a meeting with the Ministry of Home Affairs to formulate policies for educational institutions that have only a handful of new students.

The government has identified schools with fewer than 100 students, and in some cases, fewer than 60.

— Abdul Mu'tiExplaining the data collection and the scale of the problem.

Minister of Basic and Secondary Education Abdul Mu'ti stated that the government has identified schools with fewer than 100 students, and in some cases, fewer than 60. This data, collected through the Basic Education Data (Dapodik) system, has been shared with the Ministry of Home Affairs to guide the development of necessary policies.

This data has been submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs, and we will formulate policies for schools with very few students.

— Abdul Mu'tiOutlining the next steps in addressing the low enrollment issue.

Mu'ti's remarks come in response to a growing phenomenon highlighted on social media, where several state elementary schools have reported minimal new student registrations. He emphasized that policy development will involve regional governments, as school management falls under their purview. The resulting policies will consider their impact on the community and will be announced after joint discussions are finalized.

Policy formulation will be done together with regional governments because school management is under the authority of regional governments.

— Abdul Mu'tiHighlighting the collaborative approach with local authorities.

This situation is not isolated. In Semarang, Central Java, SDN Purwoyoso 01 registered only three new students for the 2026/2027 academic year, yet the school proceeded with orientation activities. Similarly, in Sleman, Central Java, approximately 60 schools are still facing shortages of new students as the enrollment period concludes.

The policies taken will consider their impact on the community and will be announced after joint discussions are completed.

— Abdul Mu'tiAssuring that community impact and thorough discussion will precede policy announcements.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by CNN Indonesia in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog