The Indonesian government is developing the Sekolah Garuda (Garuda School) program based on three core pillars as part of its commitment to realizing the Golden Indonesia 2045 vision.
Sekolah Garuda is a government initiative to establish and enhance high-quality educational institutions, primarily at the high school level.
Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, Stella Christie, said the program is built on three pillars: equal access, national leadership incubation, and academic excellence combined with community service.
To achieve these goals, the planning and implementation of Garuda schools have been carefully designed, she said during a visit to the MAN IC boarding school in Ogan Komering Ilir, South Sumatra, on Tuesday.
She emphasized that leadership incubation plays a vital role in shaping the Garuda school concept.
“Why? Because we believe that national leaders must have global insight while remaining sensitive to local conditions,” Christie explained.
To cultivate this local sensitivity, Garuda schools will admit talented students from across Indonesia.
“How do we foster local sensitivity? By giving students from all corners of Indonesia the opportunity to live and learn together. Garuda schools will adopt a boarding school model, with student admissions managed by the central government,” she added.
Christie said the boarding environment would allow a diverse group of students to live in dormitories and learn from each other, fostering unity through diversity.
Regarding the pillar of academic excellence and community service, she praised MAN IC for its strong performance in both academic and non-academic areas.
“This is something to be proud of. However, we want to ensure that whatever students learn during their education, they also apply in service to the surrounding community,” she said.
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Translator: Sean, Kenzu
Editor: Anton Santoso
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