JAKARTA – The Student Executive Board of Indonesia (BEM SI) launched a demonstration in Central Jakarta on May 2, 2026, to mark National Education Day (Hardiknas). Protesters gathered at the Arjuna Wijaya Horse Statue, a major traffic circle near key government offices, to voice grievances over systemic education disparities and government policy.
The action, organized under the campaign hashtag #GelapGulitaPendidikanIndonesia (Darkness of Indonesian Education), seeks to shift the focus of the annual commemoration from ceremonial observance to a demand for structural reform. The coalition argues that current educational policies are diverging from the interests of the general public and failing to close long-standing gaps in access and quality.
“Hardiknas is not just a ceremony. This is a moment of resistance, a moment to voice the truth,”
the organization stated in a post on its official Instagram account, framing the protest as a corrective to what it sees as symbolic government messaging on education.
Demands for Educational Reform
BEM SI has presented the government with a set of nine specific demands aimed at addressing what it describes as a national education crisis. These requirements focus on budget governance, infrastructure, teacher welfare, and legislative change, and are directed primarily at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology and regional administrations responsible for implementing schooling:
- Reform of education budget management, including the separation of public education funds from bureaucracy and an end to the commercialization of education.
- A shift in central and regional government approach to treat education as a substantive policy priority rather than merely a formal budget requirement.
- The establishment of equal access to quality education in vulnerable, underdeveloped, and remote areas, including adequate staffing and learning resources.
- Improvements to teacher welfare, the implementation of a transparent resolution for honorary (non-permanent) teacher status, and a reform of the teacher recruitment, placement, and distribution system.
- National rehabilitation of damaged schools and the provision of adequate facilities, particularly in disaster-prone and rural districts.
- The adoption of consistent, data-driven, and long-term education policies that remain stable across political cycles.
- The promotion of character education rooted in local wisdom and national values, while maintaining academic standards and inclusivity.
- Strict oversight and transparency regarding the utilization of education budgets at both central and regional levels.
- A revision of the National Education System (Sisdiknas) Law, conducted through discussions that include civil society participation, including students, teachers, and education experts.
Student leaders say the nine-point platform is intended to serve as a benchmark against which future government education spending and legislative initiatives can be assessed.
Institutional and Legislative Framework
The protest coincides with Hardiknas, a day dedicated to the philosophy of Ki Hajar Dewantara, the pioneer of Indonesian education whose principles of equitable, community-centered schooling are frequently cited in state speeches. BEM SI, a coalition of student executive boards from universities across the archipelago, frequently utilizes the Arjuna Wijaya Horse Statue as a strategic site for mobilization due to its proximity to the National Monument, ministries, and the Presidential Palace complex.
The demands for a revision of the National Education System (Sisdiknas) Law target the primary legal framework governing the country’s educational standards, governance structure, and rights and obligations of students and educators. Any amendment process would require coordination between the executive and the House of Representatives (DPR), and the student board is calling for a more inclusive legislative approach that allows for external scrutiny and structured input from educators, students, and education watchdogs rather than closed-door technocratic drafting.
This mobilization follows previous public commitments from President Prabowo, who has stated his intention to make major investments in the education sector as part of broader human capital development plans. BEM SI argues that without stronger safeguards in the legal and regulatory framework, increased spending risks reinforcing existing inequalities instead of correcting them.
The coalition continues to call for an immediate and public government response to the nine points of demand, including a clear implementation timeline, and the opening of a formal dialogue mechanism regarding both the Sisdiknas Law and downstream regulations. Organizers say they will monitor follow-up from the relevant ministries and legislature in the weeks following the Hardiknas commemoration.
