Warsito, the ministry's acting deputy for coordination of education quality and religious moderation improvement, said on Thursday that early childhood education will be mandatory.
"It is hoped that during the one-year period before elementary school, children will get character education," he said.
He added that early childhood education would be mandatory because children are in their golden age during those years.
Warsito highlighted the importance of early childhood education to explore children's potential talents and creativity. He said that during the pre-elementary education period, various talents must be explored.
"Maybe there are some who are talented in singing, painting, writing, or storytelling," he said. "Those are talents that must be explored to gradually see which one stands out."
Warsito said that character education can be given to children by including Indonesian culture in the national mental revolution movement.
It is also essential to instill a religious character in children during the early childhood period to strengthen their morals, he said.
"Children should be introduced to worship God in accordance with the beliefs of each family," he said.
With an understanding of religious values, students will not be influenced by foreign cultures, he added.
The Draft National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) 2025–2029 prepared by the Ministry of National Development Planning will initiate the acceleration of 13-year compulsory education as part of the development agenda.
The 13 years comprise 1 year of early childhood education and 12 years of primary and secondary education.
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Translator: Lintang Budiyanti, Raka Adji
Editor: Anton Santoso
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