Indonesia: President Signs Decree on Character Education

http://www.loc.gov/law/foreign-news/article/indonesia-president-
signs-decree-on-character-education/
(Oct. 19, 2017) On September 6, 2017, Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo signed a presidential
decree issuing a regulation on education designed to strengthen character. Widodo stated that the
regulation had been prepared following input from a variety of interested parties across the country
and that it would be followed up with the provision of technical guidance on its implementation.
(Maryati & Ani Hasanah, President Joko Widodo Signs Decree on Character Strengthening
Education, VOICE OF INDONESIA (Sept. 7, 2017); Moses Ompusunggu & Fedina S.
Sundaryani, Jokowi Signs Amended Regulation on Character Education, JAKARTA POST (Sept. 7,
2017); Peraturan Presiden Republik Indonesia Nomor 87 Tahun 2017 Tentang Penguatan Pendidikan
Karakter [Regulation of the President of the Republic of Indonesia No. 87, 2017, on Strengthening
Character Education] (Character Education Regulation) (Sept. 6, 2017), Cabinet Secretariat
website.)
Widodo added that he is pleased that Islamic clerics and community leaders supported the decree
and attended the signing. He stated that it will provide a legal umbrella for the budget to finance
character education in public schools, madrasahs (Islamic religious schools), and communities.
(Maryati & Hasanah, supra; Moses Ompusunggu & Fedina S. Sundaryani, Jokowi Signs Amended
Regulation on Character Education, JAKARTA POST (Sept. 7, 2017).)
The Regulation
The regulation defines “strengthening character education” (penguatan pendidikan karakter in
Indonesian, abbreviated PPK) as “the education movement under the responsibility of the
educational unit to strengthen the learner’s character through harmonizing the heart, taste,
thought, and body, with the involvement of and cooperation between educational units, family, and
society … .” (Character Education Regulation, art. 1.) It goes on to list three purposes of the PPK
program:
 by 2045, to build learners into a generation of Indonesians who have experienced good
character education, with the soul of “Pancasila,” the Indonesian political philosophy that stresses
national unity, democracy, and social justice;
 to develop a national education platform incorporating character education, with public
engagement through formal and informal educational organizations and with respect for cultural
diversity; and
 to strengthen the competencies of educators, the community, and the family to implement
PPK. (Id. art. 2.)
The program will be overseen by the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Cultural
Affairs and implemented by the ministries that manage education, culture, religion, and domestic
affairs, as well as by local governments. (Id. art. 12.)
Implementation of Dual Report Card System
The Ministry of Education and Culture has directed schools to use a “double report card” system,
beginning in 2018. The cards would report on both academic achievement and personal progress.
Some teachers are already evaluating students on qualities related to the new character education,
in addition to their school work. Muhadjir Effendy, the Minister of Education and Culture, stated
that the new cards “force teachers to scout and look out for the talents of each child.” (Schools
Begin to Adopt ‘Dual Report Card’ System, JAKARTA POST (Oct. 7, 2017).)
Author: Constance Johnson
Topic: Education
Jurisdiction: Indonesia
Date: October 19, 2017