Education Not Prioritized: Will the 2030 SDGs and Golden Indonesia 2045 Be Achieved?

Legal Literacy - The weakness of education in Indonesia is marked by the polemic that occurred in 2024, where one of the country's top officials clarified a statement regarding "Higher Education is a Tertiary Need", along with the high Single Tuition Fee (UKT) in a number of universities. Of course, this statement is a wound for the nation's children who have dreams.

Trending Topic

Hashtag #IndonesiaGelap became a trending topic in this era, reflecting public concern about various policies that are considered not in line with democratic principles. This phenomenon indicates public dissatisfaction with the direction of policies that are considered to pay less attention to the aspirations of the people and do not support the ideals of democracy.

One of the crucial issues behind the emergence of this hashtag is inequality in the education sector. Many parties highlight how the inequality of access and quality of education is becoming more real, especially for underprivileged groups. In addition, the hashtag #IndonesiaGelap also carries meaning as a form of warning that inefficient education budget that is not right on target, actually risks reducing the quality of education services

As quoted from the Instagram account @folkshitt on February 19, 2025, this phenomenon is a reflection of the wounds for our brothers and sisters in Papua. In a heartbreaking portrait, students are seen carrying out an action with the call, "Nature has provided everything, what we need is Free Education." This expression reflects deep anxiety regarding unequal access to education, even though the constitution has mandated the right to education for every citizen. Ironically, in the midst of the struggle for access to quality education, another concern arises that is no less serious—namely the effectiveness of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG)program. This program should be a solution for children who need nutritional intake, but instead reveals a bitter reality for others. Imagine, a child gets a free lunch at school, but when he returns home, he finds his family still struggling with hunger. Instead of being a comprehensive solution, this program actually shows a widening gap of inequality. The author emphasizes that the current urgency is not to reject the MBG, but rather encourages a more in-depth evaluation. There needs to be a balance in social policies so that government-initiated programs truly provide holistic benefits, not just short-term solutions while neglecting more strategic programs. Flashback Furthermore, reflecting on the industrial sector of the Raja Ampat region, such as the tourism industry in the Waigeo and Misool areas, it is still managed by foreigners. The Raja Ampat region is still a priority for community service that is still short-term. Based on field facts, it is evident that improving the quality of human resources still requires attention and sustainability. Therefore, to optimize human resources for industry, intellectual local human resources are needed, especially in the fields of technology and tourism development, and supported by other fields. The author realizes that achieving an improvement in the quality of Raja Ampat's human resources requires collaboration and intensive efforts towards the quality of education and partnerships in the Raja Ampat industrial sector. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a global development agenda initiated by the United Nations (UN) and adopted by 193 countries, including Indonesia. This agenda contains 17 main goal points targeted to be perfectly achieved by 2030. One of the main principles promoted in the SDGs is "No One Left Behind", which means that no individual or group should be left behind in the development process. In the journey towards a Golden Indonesia 2045, the SDGs play a crucial role in realizing sustainable development in Indonesia. To achieve this vision, a focused strategy and sustainable implementation are required, especially in the education sector. The UN itself has affirmed that Indonesia's success in achieving the 2030 SDGs and Golden Indonesia 2045 is highly dependent on the quality of superior and competitive Human Resources (HR). One of the main indicators in creating quality human resources is increasing access to and quality of education. With that, investment in the education sector must be a top priority and the government needs to synergize in creating an inclusive and equitable education ecosystem, so as to produce a future generation that is able to bring Indonesia towards a brighter and more sustainable future.

Does Not Impact the Education Budget?

In alignment with the problems regarding education, although the Ministry of Higher Education, Research, and Technology promises that there will be no inefficiencies affecting the education budget, it should be noted that awareness of the importance of education is still not optimal as a breakthrough towards a Golden Indonesia 2045. Moreover, there is a lack of encouragement from officials who have the responsibility mandated by the constitution. Education is a major factor in realizing superior human resources who will take roles in the country in the future. The high cost of education has been stated since the Preamble of the 1945 Constitution "to educate the nation's life" and clarified again in Article 31 paragraph (1) which states that "Every citizen has the right to education." However, the main challenge that is still faced is the high cost of education, which often becomes an obstacle for people in accessing quality education services. In fact, empowering the education sector in Indonesia is not only an individual responsibility, but also a state obligation to ensure that every citizen has access to quality and equitable education. In this case, government involvement is a key factor in building a strong and inclusive education system. The government acts as a solid bridge in delivering Indonesian human resources towards strategic reform. In other words, education can change a person; without education, a country has no future. There are 2 scenarios that can be used as a reference in designing strategies to improve human resources and the quality of higher education. First, the Business As Usual (BAU) scenario, which is interpreted as a fixed method or no significant changes (a quo). Second, the Intervention Scenario is the opposite of the BAU Scenario. As for the Indonesian Roadmap towards the SDGs, especially in the field of education, the gross enrollment rate (GER) is 43.85% in 2030 with the BAU scenario and reaches 60.84% GER in 2030 with the intervention scenario. This means that the current situation requires strategic solutions. Therefore, facta sunt potentiora verbis—the high expectations of the nation's children are not just promises outlined in regulations, but actions that do not betray the constitution.