Hardiknas 2025: Puan Highlights Education And Bullying Gaps In Schools

PDIP DPP chairman Puan Maharani. (Nailin-VOI)

JAKARTA - Chairman of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, emphasized that quality education must be enjoyed by all Indonesian children without exception, including those who live in disadvantaged, frontier, and outermost (3T) areas.

This statement was made in commemoration of National Education Day (Hardiknas) 2025, Friday, May 2.

"Hardiknas is not just a ceremony. This is a reflection momentum that education is a constitutional promise that must be realized for all children of the nation, both in big cities and remote areas of the country," said Puan in Jakarta.

Puan highlighted that there is still a gap in access and quality for inter-regional education in Indonesia. He said, there are still many schools in remote areas that lack teachers, do not have basic facilities such as electricity and the internet, and do not even have proper learning facilities.

According to Puan, the biggest challenge right now is equitable access to education. Children in remote areas still have to travel for hours just to get to school, some even without adequate means of transportation.

"This shows that we are not yet completely independent in education," said Puan.

He also urged the central and regional governments to work together to strengthen basic infrastructure for education in the 3T area. Including in terms of budget alignment and fair policies.

"The state must not turn a blind eye. Building superior human resources is not enough just with the number of school participation, but must also ensure quality and justice access to educational services," he said.

In addition to access issues, Puan also highlighted the fate of teachers and educators, who according to her, there are still many who are neither prosperous nor have clear status.

"Respectation for teachers is not enough with a ceremony. There must be fair recruitment, transparent appointment, decent salary, and definite social security," said the former Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture.

On the other hand, Puan also raised the issue of violence in the world of education which is still a serious problem. He said that the rampant cases of bullying, violence, and juvenile delinquency in schools must be responded to with a comprehensive approach.

"Handling must involve professionals in the fields of character, psychology, and culture. The approach must be humanist and data-based," he said.

In line with the theme of the 2025 National Education Day, 'The Participation of the Universe Realizes Quality Education for All', Puan calls for all policy makers to make education a top priority for national development.

"Because educating the nation's life is not only a constitutional mandate, but also a moral honor that we should not ignore," he concluded.