Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — Indonesian children are facing a significant educational crisis, with their IQ scores ranking the lowest among ASEAN nations.
According to Burhanuddin Abdullah, Chairman of the Prabowo-Gibran National Campaign Team’s Expert Council, this is a troubling sign of the overall decline in the country’s education system since the reform era.
Citing the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), Burhanuddin revealed that Indonesia ranks 70th out of 77 countries in education quality.
“The performance of our students is not very promising. Our PISA ranking is 70 out of 77 countries, and our IQ scores are the lowest in ASEAN,” he stated during the UOB Economic Outlook 2025 event in Jakarta on Wednesday (September 25, 2024).
In addition to educational challenges, Indonesian children are also grappling with stunting issues, a problem Burhanuddin identified as a critical concern for the future administration of Prabowo-Gibran.
The impact of malnutrition on cognitive development has been linked to lower IQ scores, making it a pressing issue for the country’s leadership.
To combat these issues, Burhanuddin outlined plans for comprehensive reforms. A key component of this strategy includes providing free nutritious meals to improve the health and cognitive performance of students across the country.
“We aim to provide free meals to one-third of our population, including 40 million schoolchildren, 5 million children in pesantren (Islamic boarding schools), 30 million toddlers, and 45 million pregnant women,” he said.
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These initiatives are part of the Prabowo-Gibran administration’s vision to reverse the negative trends and elevate the educational standards for Indonesian children. The focus is not just on improving IQ scores but also on tackling broader challenges like stunting and access to quality education.
(Ray)
