Stagnant learning outcomes and a surge in sexual violence expose deep flaws in education governance
Indonesia’s education system closed 2025 under intense scrutiny, as watchdogs warned that structural failures and unchecked violence have pushed schools into a state of emergency.
Red Card for Indonesia’s Education System
The Indonesian Education Monitoring Network, or JPPI, issued a red card for the national education system throughout 2025, citing stagnant quality and a sharp rise in violence within schools. According to JPPI, these issues reflect not isolated shortcomings but systemic failures that prevent education in Indonesia from improving or “moving up a class.”
JPPI National Coordinator Ubaid Matraji stated that Indonesia’s education performance remains far below expectations. Speaking at the 2025 year-end education report reflection in Cikini, Central Jakarta, on December 30, he stressed that the system has failed to deliver equitable and quality education for all students.
Academic Competency Scores Remain in the Red
One of the clearest indicators of stagnation is the Academic Competency Test, or TKA. Data collected by JPPI from 2015 to 2025 shows no meaningful improvement in student learning outcomes. In 2025, the national TKA score hovered between 49 and 50, well below the minimum target score of 60.
Ubaid emphasized that low scores should not be blamed on students or teachers. Instead, they represent accumulated policy and governance failures at the national level, including weak curriculum alignment, uneven resource distribution, and inconsistent education reforms.
Violence in Schools Reaches Alarming Levels
Beyond academic concerns, JPPI highlighted a far more disturbing trend. Violence in educational institutions has surged by more than 600 percent over the past six years. In 2025 alone, JPPI recorded 641 cases of violence in schools across Indonesia.
Sexual violence emerged as the most dominant category, accounting for 57.65 percent of all reported cases. This trend has raised serious concerns about the safety of children in spaces that are meant to nurture and protect them.
When Schools Are No Longer Safe Spaces
JPPI data shows that 57 percent of perpetrators are teachers and education personnel, a finding that has deeply shaken public trust. Ubaid described this phenomenon as a “silent pandemic,” noting that many cases are deliberately concealed to protect institutional reputations.
The number of reported cases jumped from 91 in 2020 to 641 in 2025, indicating that violence is no longer incidental. Instead, it has become a recurring and tolerated pattern within parts of the education system.
A Failure of Child Protection Systems
According to JPPI, the rise in violence reflects a serious failure by the state to build effective child protection mechanisms in education. Weak reporting systems, lack of accountability, and insufficient safeguards have allowed abuse to persist across multiple levels of schooling.
Ubaid warned that without structural reform and strict enforcement, education institutions risk normalizing harm rather than preventing it. He stressed that protecting children must be treated as a core function of education policy, not an afterthought.
Urgent Calls for Systemic Reform
JPPI urged policymakers to address both academic stagnation and school safety simultaneously. Improving test scores without ensuring safe learning environments, they argued, would be meaningless. Strong governance, transparent reporting, and firm legal consequences are essential to restoring confidence in Indonesia’s education system.
The 2025 JPPI report paints a stark picture of an education system struggling on multiple fronts. For Indonesia and its regional neighbors, including Singapore, the findings serve as a reminder that education quality and child protection are inseparable. Without decisive reforms, the long-term social and economic consequences could extend well beyond classrooms and national borders.
Sources: Batampos (2025) , Jawa Pos (2025)
Keywords: Indonesia Education Crisis, JPPI Report, School Violence Indonesia, Academic Competency Test, Child Protection In Schools
