Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto announced a new policy to include Portuguese as one of the priority foreign languages to be taught in schools and universities across the country.
The announcement was made during a bilateral meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Thursday, October 23, 2025.
President Prabowo said the move reflects Indonesia’s commitment to deepening its relationship with Brazil.
“As proof of how much we value Brazil, I have decided that Portuguese will be one of our priority foreign languages,” Prabowo said, as reported by Antara.
In a joint press statement following the meeting, Prabowo reaffirmed his decision. “Because of its importance, I have decided that Portuguese will be a priority language in our education system, alongside English, Arabic, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, French, German, and Russian.”
Direct Instruction to Education Ministers
To implement the new language policy, the president said he had given direct instructions to two cabinet ministers overseeing education.
“I have instructed the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Abdul Mu’ti, and the Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, Brian Yuliarto, to prepare the curriculum and introduce Portuguese as a subject in schools and universities,” Prabowo explained.
The bilateral meeting, which lasted for more than an hour, was attended by several senior Indonesian officials, including Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, Foreign Minister Sugiono, Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan, and Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin.
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Eight Memorandums of Understanding Signed
The meeting concluded with the signing of eight memorandums of understanding (MoUs), covering government-to-government cooperation and business partnerships between Indonesian and Brazilian entities.
President Lula’s visit to Jakarta, taking place from October 22 to 24, 2025, marks his second state visit to Indonesia, following his first in 2008. The trip also serves as a reciprocal visit after President Prabowo’s official trip to Brasília on July 9, 2025.
(Raidi/Agung)
