The announcement was made during his speech on the 2026 State Budget Bill and Financial Notes at a plenary session of the House of Representatives (DPR) in the Nusantara Building of the Parliamentary Complex in Jakarta on Friday.
“Education is an instrument to eradicate poverty. The government is committed to allocating 20 percent of the budget to education, which amounts to approximately IDR 757.8 trillion for 2026 — the highest in our nation’s history,” the President said.
Prabowo also warned that the education sector budget must be closely monitored to ensure it is well-targeted, in line with the government’s efforts to improve teacher quality and strengthen vocational education that is aligned with the needs of the workforce.
From the total education budget, the government plans to provide scholarships through the initiative aimed at improving access to education for students from low-income families, Indonesia Pintar Program (PIP), targeting 21.1 million students.
The budget will also be allocated to 1.2 million university students who will provided with Kartu Indonesia Pintar (KIP) — government card that provides financial aid to Indonesian students from low-income families.
“An allocation of IDR150.1 trillion (approx. US$ 9,3 billion) is designated for improving school and campus facilities,” Prabowo added.
The president delivered the remarks in front of 473 legislators representing all political factions, including DPR Speaker Puan Maharani who opened and closed the session.
The event was also attended by top government officials, including leaders of national institutions and ministers from the Red and White Cabinet, among them Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan, Foreign Affairs Minister Sugiono, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, and Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin.
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Translator: Kuntum Khaira Riswan
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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