Director of PAUD at the ministry, Nia Nurhasanah, stated during a dialogue with journalists here on Friday that the proposal is currently under inter-ministerial review and being discussed with the parliament.
“Our hope is that PIP can soon cover PAUD students, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds, so they can attend at least one year of preschool before entering elementary school,” she remarked.
Nurhasanah explained that limited family finances are one of the factors behind the low participation rate in PAUD, despite the government’s operational assistance program (BOP) already being disbursed.
“Preschool education serves as a critical foundation for the government’s 13-year compulsory education policy,” she added.
The ministry's data for the 2024/2025 academic year shows that there are 6.8 million PAUD students nationwide.
Of that number, 351,427 are enrolled in public PAUDs, with Aceh having the highest number (34,624), while Southwest Papua has the lowest (1,161). Meanwhile, private PAUDs account for 6.47 million students, with East Java (1.22 million) and West Java (1.07 million) leading the list.
However, this represents only 22.5 percent of the over 30.2 million preschool-aged children across Indonesia who would have been able to attend preschools, based on 2023 data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS).
“PIP is expected to complement existing aid so no child is left behind. We have completed the study and the numbers, now we are waiting for approval,” Nurhasanah said.
She also emphasized the role of Bunda PAUD or PAUD Women Ambassadors in improving the awareness of parents in low-income communities, about sending their children to preschools.
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Translator: Prasetyo, Kenzu
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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