Govt. readies Rp541.7 trillion of education budget in 2022

Senin, 16 Agustus 2021 19:13 WIB

President Joko Widodo during his state budget speech on the 2022 fiscal year at the Parliamentary Complex, Jakarta, Monday. (Aug 16, 2021). ANTARA/Youtube Presidential Secretariat/pri.

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The government had readied an education budget of Rp541.7 trillion in the 2022 state budget draft (RAPBN) to boost productivity and quality of human resources.

"In order to improve productivity and quality of human resources, a total of Rp541.7 trillion of the education budget has been prepared. The development of human resources continues to be our priority agenda," President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) noted in his state budget speech on the 2022 fiscal year at the Parliamentary Complex, Jakarta, Monday.

The head of state emphasized the need for Indonesia to derive optimal benefits from the demographic dividend and stand ready to face technological disruption.

"We must prepare productive, innovative, and globally competitive human resources while still practicing values of the state ideology Pancasila, observing good deeds, and preserving national cultural identity," the president affirmed.

The policy is aimed at continuing education reforms with focus on three area: improving the quality of human resources by strengthening Early Childhood Education and Sekolah Penggerak (Activator School) program; ensuring equitable distribution of education infrastructure and facilities; as well as solving educational mismatch by strengthening vocational education, developing applied research and innovations that are linked to industry and society, internship program, and teaching industry; as well as implementing Merdeka Belajar (Freedom to Learn) program, according to the president.

Jokowi highlighted the government’s commitment to intensifying investment in the education sector, including by supporting the expansion of scholarship program, adopting information and communication technology, advancing culture, strengthening world- class universities, as well as developing research and innovations.