President orders review of school textbooks

 President Prabowo Subianto has instructed Primary and Secondary Education Minister Abdul Mu'ti to immediately establish a team to study and re-evaluate textbooks currently used in schools.

The instruction was conveyed during a limited meeting lasting more than two hours at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Thursday (June 11).

State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi and Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya also attended the meeting.

"The Minister has been tasked by the President with immediately forming a team to study textbooks or learning materials for all our students," Hadi said.

According to the State Secretary, these books must be adjusted to current developments, including technological advancement, so Indonesian education does not fall behind from abroad.

Hadi noted the President also discussed various education-related issues during the meeting, ranging from school infrastructure and revitalization to teachers' welfare.

"The President showed serious concern over education issues, including infrastructure and efforts to improve teachers' welfare and quality," he said.

During the meeting, Minister Mu'ti said he reported several matters to the President, including the progress of school revitalization, teachers' welfare and quality improvement, the distribution of smart boards or interactive flat panels (IFPs), and the implementation of integrated schools.

"The 2026 revitalization program has begun. Around 70 percent of the 11,744 allocated education units are already under work. Some of them are expected to be completed in July and August and can be inaugurated to welcome the 2026-2027 school year," he said.

According to Mu'ti, the school revitalization program has brought direct benefits to communities, considering that many schools had been damaged and left unrenovated for decades.

People in frontier, outermost, and disadvantaged areas, says Mu'ti, are grateful because of the development from the President, including public and private school revitalization across Indonesia.