Prabowo Appoints Portuguese Will Be Taught At Indonesian Schools

JAKARTA - Prabowo Subianto during a bilateral meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inbowo Lula da Silva stated that Portuguese which is the national language of Brazil will begin to be taught in Indonesian schools.

President Prabowo explained that the move aims to bring the relationship closer between the Indonesian people and the Brazilian people.

"As proof that we view Brazil as very important, I have formulated that Portuguese will be one of the language priorities (which is taught in schools, ed.)," President Prabowo said in front of President Lula during a bilateral meeting at the Merdeka Palace as reported by ANTARA, Thursday, October 23.

Prabowo has ordered two of his ministers, namely the Minister of Elementary and Secondary Education Abdul Muti and the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology Brian Yuliarto to compile a curriculum and introduce Portuguese subjects and subjects in schools and campuses in Indonesia.

On a separate occasion, when delivering a joint press statement, President Prabowo reiterated that Portuguese is one of the priority foreign languages taught in Indonesian schools.

"Because it is important, I have decided that Portuguese is a priority language in our education in addition to English, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, French, German, and Russian. Portuguese is our priority language," said President Prabowo.

At the Merdeka Palace, bilateral meetings between the Indonesian Government and the Brazilian Government lasted for more than an hour.

After chairing a bilateral meeting, the two country leaders continued to witness the signing of 8 MoUs consisting of cooperation between government agencies and cooperation between Indonesian business entities and French business entities.

Then, President Prabowo and President Lula took turns delivering joint statements in front of journalists.

President Lula's state visit to Jakarta on October 22' 24 was part of his overseas visit to Southeast Asia. This visit is the second after President Lula's first state visit in 2008.

Lula's visit to Jakarta today is also a counter-visitory considering that President Prabowo has visited the Brazilian Presidential Palace Palighcio do Plan ahead, Brasilia, Brazil, on July 9, 2025.