She emphasized that improving women’s access to education is essential for achieving gender equality and maximizing the potential of national human resources, which in turn would help ensure fairer and broader welfare for all Indonesians.
"The gap between women in villages and cities in accessing education must be addressed immediately through concrete measures," Moerdijat said in a written statement issued Tuesday.
Citing data from Statistics Indonesia, she noted that in 2024, only around 6 percent of women in rural areas attained higher education, compared to 14 percent of women in urban areas. She attributed this disparity largely to prevailing social and cultural factors.
To address the issue, Moerdijat called for consistent efforts to raise awareness about the importance of educating women, especially in rural communities.
"Strong and consistent efforts are needed to improve public understanding of the importance of education for women, particularly in overcoming social and cultural barriers in villages," she stated.
She also encouraged the younger generation to embody the values championed by women’s emancipation figure R.A. Kartini, who fought to open equal educational opportunities for all, regardless of gender.
"R.A. Kartini believed that through education, women could free themselves from traditional constraints and realize their full potential. This belief remains highly relevant today," Moerdijat said.
She urged both national and regional stakeholders, as well as the broader community, to uphold the principles of gender equality advocated by R.A. Kartini in pursuit of more equitable development.
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Translator: Melalusa Susthira, Raka Adji
Editor: Anton Santoso
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