Jakarta. Education stakeholders have welcomed the government’s plan to introduce English lessons at an earlier stage of schooling, calling it a positive step toward strengthening Indonesia’s global competitiveness.

Executive Director of the Indonesian International Education Foundation (IIEF), Diana Kartika, said many Indonesians are highly capable but continue to face barriers in international competition due to limited English proficiency.

“For example, IIEF has administered many scholarship programs for around 20 years. We see directly that many Indonesians are smart, but one of the main challenges that prevents us from competing globally is English. That is the reality,” Diana said in South Jakarta on Thursday.

She said the importance of English is growing in the artificial intelligence era, countering the assumption that AI reduces the need for language skills.

“With AI, English is actually becoming even more important. You need to write prompts properly, and the language must be accurate because the results depend on how you communicate with the AI,” she said.

Diana expressed optimism about the policy, saying it could help improve Indonesia’s global competitiveness as international barriers continue to decline.

“I’m very optimistic about this regulation. It will make us more competitive internationally because the world now has fewer boundaries,” she said.

Indonesia remains in the low-proficiency band for English, ranking 80th out of 123 countries in the 2025 EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI). The report shows Indonesia scored 471 in 2025, up 3 points from the previous year, but still trailing most Asian peers and far behind leading European countries. The findings are based on 2.2 million EF SET test-takers worldwide, including new assessments of writing and speaking skills.

Jakarta, meanwhile, recorded a higher score of 523, placing it in the moderate proficiency band and above the national average. The capital outperformed several major Asian cities, including Bangkok (467), Beijing (514), and Vientiane (486), but remained behind Manila (603), Kuala Lumpur (588), and Hong Kong (541).

Meanwhile, Sidnei De Souza, Executive Director of Global Partnerships and Sales Management at ETS, said the rise of AI has not diminished the importance of communication skills.

“English remains extremely important, even in the context of AI. We do not see AI replacing the importance of communication,” he said.

He added that critical thinking and effective communication remain essential skills in the AI era, as governments and institutions increasingly prioritize English proficiency.

“What we see, especially with AI, is that critical thinking is an ability everyone is focusing on,” he said.

Sidnei also noted that more governments and institutions are investing in English communication skills and assessment tools.

“More and more governments and institutions realize the importance of investing in English communication, and therefore having the right tools to assess it is very important,” he said.

Previously, the government announced plans to introduce English as a compulsory subject for third-grade students starting in the 2027 academic year. Primary and Secondary Education Minister Abdul Mu’ti said English instruction will be introduced at an earlier stage, as it is currently mandatory only from junior high school onward.