"Equitable education for all people must be realized by immediately overcoming existing challenges," she said in a written statement from the MPR on Tuesday.
She pointed out that several issues, including unequal access to education among urban and rural residents due to unresolved problems, must be tackled promptly.
The issue of unequal access now lies more in high school and higher education compared to earlier levels, she added.
She underlined that based on data from Statistics Indonesia in 2022, the high school gross enrollment ratio (GER) in rural areas stood at 81.23 percent, and in urban areas, it was 88.70 percent.
Meanwhile, GER in higher education stood at 23.05 percent in rural areas and 37.13 percent in urban areas in 2022.
She expressed hope that the currently available scholarships would be awarded more equally and right on target to reduce inequality.
She also said that the causes of inequality, such as economic, social, and cultural problems, need immediate identification and solutions.
Moerdijat underscored that stakeholders at the central and regional levels must play an active role in efforts to tackle the issue of unequal access to education.
That way, access to higher education can become more equitable, thereby increasing the potential for the creation of human resources with higher quality and competitiveness, she stated.
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Translator: Nadia Putri, Raka Adji
Editor: Anton Santoso
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