DistantNews
Support us
🇮🇩 Indonesia /Culture & Society

Response to Instruction for Schools to Teach French: P2G: 'Just Diplomatic Courtesy'

From Republika · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News From a news agency Context piece
  • A teachers' group expressed surprise and concern over President Prabowo's sudden instruction for schools to teach French.
  • The group questions the necessity and planning behind the directive, suggesting it might be mere diplomatic courtesy.
  • They point to unfulfilled past directives, like teaching Portuguese, and argue that adding French would strain resources and exacerbate teacher shortages.

The Indonesian Teachers and Education Personnel Association (P2G) has voiced surprise and skepticism regarding President Prabowo's recent directive for all schools to implement French language education. The association questioned the suddenness and apparent lack of planning behind the instruction, suggesting it may be a superficial diplomatic gesture rather than a well-considered educational policy.

There was no wind or rain, suddenly the President ordered schools at all levels to teach French to students.

— Satriwan SalimExpressing surprise at the suddenness of the presidential directive.

Satriwan Salim, National Coordinator for P2G, stated that the instruction appeared to come out of nowhere and lacked a clear rationale or priority. He expressed concern that similar directives might follow for other languages, such as Japanese or Chinese, depending on the President's diplomatic engagements. Salim also recalled a previous presidential instruction from a year ago to teach Portuguese, which has yet to be realized, adding to the group's doubts about the feasibility of the new French language mandate.

We suspect the instruction is just diplomatic courtesy to France.

— Satriwan SalimQuestioning the underlying motive for the French language mandate.

P2G highlighted that the inclusion of French and Portuguese in the school curriculum is not aligned with the National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) for 2025-2029, as stipulated by Presidential Regulation No. 12 of 2025. They argue that the government should adhere to the established development plan and avoid implementing educational policies that deviate from it.

The instruction from President Prabowo a year ago to teach Portuguese to students has not yet been realized today, and now French is added.

— Satriwan SalimHighlighting the lack of follow-through on previous educational directives.

Furthermore, the association warned that mandating French language classes across all educational levels would significantly increase the burden on the existing curriculum and exacerbate the already critical shortage of qualified teachers. Indonesia faces a deficit of 374,000 civil servant teachers. P2G estimates that implementing French and Portuguese would require an additional 480,000 foreign language teachers, a number they deem impossible to meet, especially given the government's halt on recruiting civil servant teachers for the past six years. This situation, they fear, would lead to unqualified individuals teaching these subjects.

The government cannot make educational policies that deviate from the established RPJMN.

— Satriwan SalimEmphasizing the need for adherence to national development plans.
DistantNews Editorial

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

More Stories

From Our Blog