Towards a Golden Indonesia 2045: Challenges and Hopes in Education

Education is a fundamental foundation in building the nation’s future. However, currently, Indonesia is still faced with fundamental challenges in the education sector that need to be addressed immediately.
One of the main problems is the inequality of educational services, both between regions and in the socio-economic context. Data shows that 302 sub-districts in Indonesia do not have SMP/MTs, and 727 sub-districts do not have SMA/SMK/MA.
This reflects significant inequality in access to education, which has the potential to exacerbate social inequalities in the future.
Not only that, the quality of education is also a serious concern. Indonesia is still far behind in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) scores when compared to OECD countries and most countries in ASEAN. This signals the need for substantial improvements in teaching methods and curricula that are relevant to global demands.
One of the main obstacles in improving the quality of education is the limited availability, competence and distribution of teachers. More than half of the teachers in Indonesia do not have teaching certificates, directly affecting the quality of education delivered to the younger generation.
Apart from these challenges, PISA results also show a correlation between the prevalence of stunting in children and low educational attainment. Children who experience stunting tend to have limited learning abilities, which can affect their ability to face more complex educational challenges in the future.
However, amidst these challenges, there is strong hope for the future of Indonesian education towards 2045. It is hoped that the average length of schooling for people aged 15 years and over will reach 12 years or the equivalent of a high school graduate. In addition, the expected length of schooling is expected to reach 14.81 years, which reflects the increase in human resource qualifications in Indonesia.
This increase is not only in terms of years of schooling, but is also expected to be reflected in learning outcomes, which are optimized to achieve PISA scores equivalent to the OECD country average.
With equal access to education and good quality learning, it is hoped that the output of the Indonesian education system will also increase significantly. The target by 2045 is 75% of workers who are graduates of secondary and higher education, especially in the fields of secondary and high skills.
To achieve the vision of a Golden Indonesia 2045, focus needs to be given to equalizing access to education and improving quality holistically. Changes in education projections from year to year should reflect significant improvements in the quality and quantity of graduates from various levels of education.
The proportion of the population with the lowest level of education is expected to decrease, while the proportion of SMA/SMK/MA and tertiary graduates is expected to increase.
Through joint efforts between the government, educational institutions and society, Indonesia can overcome these challenges and prepare a generation that is strong and highly competitive to face the future era of globalization. Education is not only an investment for today, but also a solid foundation for a brighter and more prosperous future for the nation.
Source: Bappenas