The proposed National Education System Bill (RUU Sisdiknas) presents an opportunity to rethink the direction of Indonesia’s education system. However, the current draft still needs substantial revision to address the challenges of the digital and artificial intelligence (AI) era.
Rather than simply responding to today’s educational challenges, national education legislation should provide a long-term policy framework for developing Indonesia’s human capital. It should establish a clear vision for the future while providing a strong foundation for education governance at all levels.
Dr. Subarsono, a lecturer in the Department of Public Policy and Management at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), said the draft bill needs to be significantly strengthened, particularly in defining the future goals of national education.
“The primary issue that needs to be examined in RUU Sisdiknas is how it defines the future goals of national education in the digital and AI era, so that the subsequent articles clearly elaborate on the objectives and methods for achieving those goals,” he said in an interview on Monday (Jul. 27).
According to Dr. Subarsono, the educational objectives outlined in Article 4 still reflect a relatively traditional paradigm, focusing primarily on educating the nation and fostering a religious society. He believes future challenges require a broader vision of the competencies students will need in an increasingly digital and AI-driven world.
The education system, he said, should prepare graduates to adapt to technological advances, develop strong digital literacy, work effectively alongside AI, think across disciplines, and compete and collaborate globally.
“In my opinion, education should produce graduates with digital skills, the ability to collaborate with AI to create innovative work, interdisciplinary competencies, global communication and collaboration skills, and the capacity to build an ethical and responsible digital society,” he said.
For Dr. Subarsono, these competencies should not be treated as supplementary skills but should become part of the fundamental direction of Indonesia’s education system. The national education framework must anticipate how technology will transform learning, work, and society rather than simply responding to changes after they occur.
The proposed bill could also have significant implications for education financing. Dr. Subarsono pointed to provisions requiring the government to guarantee access to, affordability of, and funding for quality education.
Such provisions could potentially expand the scope of free education policies to higher education. However, he stressed that policymakers must consider any such policy alongside Indonesia’s fiscal capacity.
“If DPR RI passes RUU Sisdiknas, it will have broad implications for the education sector. The debate could focus on whether university tuition should be fully waived or only partially subsidized. If tuition is made entirely free, the question is whether the state budget can support such a policy under the current fiscal conditions,” he said.
He emphasized that ensuring equitable access to education is an important policy objective, but a realistic and sustainable financing framework must support its implementation.
Another issue raised by Dr. Subarsono concerns higher education governance, particularly the proposed mechanism for selecting university rectors.
Under the provision discussed in the bill, the minister would have the authority to appoint one of three candidates shortlisted through an internal university selection process. Dr. Subarsono warned that such a mechanism could weaken the role of the academic community and create greater room for government intervention in university governance.
“If the three best candidates selected through the university’s internal election are then subject to the minister’s final decision, it means the academic community’s vote is no longer the decisive factor. Such a mechanism risks weakening the principles of democracy and university autonomy,” he said.
He therefore emphasized the importance of maintaining a bottom-up and participatory approach to leadership selection, with the government playing a regulatory and facilitating role rather than determining the outcome.
Despite his concerns, Dr. Subarsono welcomed one important element of the proposed legislation: the inclusion of a National Education Master Plan.
He described the plan as a significant step forward because it could provide an integrated long-term roadmap connecting primary, secondary, and higher education.
“One of the most important and promising aspects of this bill is the preparation of a National Education Master Plan. It provides an integrated roadmap for Indonesia’s education system, connecting primary, secondary, and higher education,” he said.
In his view, the master plan could help ensure greater continuity and coherence in national education policy, rather than allowing education development to be shaped primarily by short-term priorities.
Dr. Subarsono also believes the deliberation of RUU Sisdiknas should become an opportunity to undertake broader institutional reform in Indonesia’s education sector.
One issue that policymakers should reconsider, he said, is the continued existence of government-affiliated higher education institutions. He questioned whether such institutions remain necessary given the substantial public funding they require each year and the broader development of Indonesia’s higher education system.
“The current discussion on higher education presents the right opportunity for institutional reform. As the Government and DPR RI deliberate RUU Sisdiknas, they should also reform educational institutions. The question is whether government-affiliated higher education institutions, which require hundreds of billions of rupiah in annual funding, are still necessary,” he said.
For him, education reform should therefore extend beyond curriculum and learning outcomes to include the institutional structures and governance mechanisms that underpin the system.
In closing, Dr. Subarsono outlined three priorities that he believes should be addressed as the National Education System Bill is deliberated.
First, the bill should clearly redefine the goals of national education to reflect technological advances, the emergence of AI, and the development of a digital society.
Second, it should support institutional reform across Indonesia’s education sector to ensure that educational institutions remain relevant, effective, and sustainable.
Third, the bill should strengthen democratic governance in higher education, particularly by ensuring that university leadership selection is participatory and bottom-up.
Under this approach, the minister’s role should primarily be that of a regulator, facilitator, and legitimizer of processes taking place within higher education institutions.
“The Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology should serve as a facilitator and legitimizer of the bottom-up process through which university leaders are selected,” Dr. Subarsono concluded.
The proposed RUU Sisdiknas thus presents more than an opportunity to revise existing education regulations. It could become a platform for defining how Indonesia prepares its people for a future shaped by technological change, artificial intelligence, global competition, and evolving demands on higher education.
Author: Cyntia Noviana
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-Editor: Jasmine Ferdian
Photo: inovasi.or.id