Jakarta. The Indonesian government has launched a new regulation aimed at reducing the number of out-of-school children by 645,000 over the next five years and eliminating the problem entirely by 2045, as more than 3 million school-age children remain outside the education system.

Presidential Regulation No. 3 of 2026 on the Prevention and Handling of Out-of-School Children provides a legal framework to strengthen coordination among ministries, local governments, and other stakeholders in tackling one of the country's most persistent education challenges.

According to the head of the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), Rachmat Pambudy, the regulation builds on the National Strategy for Handling Out-of-School Children (Stranas ATS), launched in 2020, and supports the government's goal of providing 13 years of compulsory education under the 2025–2029 National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN).

“Over the past five years, the number of out-of-school children has declined significantly, from 4.5 million in 2020 to around 3 million in 2025,” Rachmat said during the regulation's launch on Tuesday.

“That means approximately 300,000 children have returned to school each year,” he added.

Despite the improvement, Rachmat said efforts to reduce school dropouts have been hampered by weak coordination among government agencies and regional administrations due to the absence of a strong legal basis.

Pungkas Bahjuri Ali, Deputy for Human Development and Culture at Bappenas, said the new regulation is designed to address that gap.

The regulation focuses on three priorities: preventing students from dropping out, helping former students return to school, and improving governance and coordination across institutions. It also adopts a more targeted approach by identifying the factors that keep children out of school and tailoring interventions accordingly.

According to Bappenas, the causes of school exclusion fall into two categories. Supply-side challenges include limited access to education and training services, as well as concerns over the quality and relevance of education. Demand-side factors include poverty, economic hardship, socio-cultural barriers, negative perceptions of education, early marriage, disability, and violence.

Implementation will involve multiple government agencies, including the ministries responsible for population and family development, law, manpower, public works, religious affairs, home affairs, finance, and human development.

Deputy Home Affairs Minister Bima Arya Sugiarto said teenagers aged 16 to 18 account for the largest share of out-of-school children, totaling 2.48 million nationwide. West Java records the highest number of cases, while Southwest Papua has the lowest.

Bima also highlighted weaknesses in the country's education database, stating that around 3 million school-age children are not registered in the Basic Education Data System (Dapodik), making it harder for authorities to track and assist them.

At the regional level, South Sulawesi has shown notable progress. The proportion of out-of-school children aged 7–18 fell from 8.51% in 2020 to 6.37% in 2025, reflecting sustained efforts by local authorities to improve school participation.

The government expects the new regulation to strengthen coordination between national and local authorities and help ensure that every Indonesian child has access to education.

Poverty Remains Key Barrier to School Attendance, UNICEF Says
Indonesia has reduced its out-of-school population by about 1.5 million children over the past five years, but family poverty and economic pressures remain the main reasons children leave school, UNICEF Indonesia said Tuesday.

UNICEF Indonesia Chief of Education Katheryn Bennett welcomed the Indonesian government's effort, calling it a major step to accelerate efforts to bring out-of-school children back into education.

“This is a very significant momentum to move forward the back-to-school movement,” she said, adding that the regulation strengthens coordination among stakeholders.

Globally, about 273 million children and youth remain out of school, mostly at secondary level, a figure that has risen over the past decade.

Bennett said household economic pressure is a key factor, especially for older children expected to contribute to family income. “Families are the most important factor in whether children stay in school,” she said.

She urged policies that address education alongside household economic challenges. UNICEF outlined three priorities: expanding early childhood and foundational education, ensuring completion of secondary schooling, and improving learning quality.

Bennett also welcomed efforts to introduce artificial intelligence and coding into the curriculum, saying they would help prepare students for future jobs. She stressed stronger partnerships between government, schools, communities, and the private sector.

“We need to work together as one to tackle this issue,” she said.

She added that gender and social inequalities must be addressed, noting girls face risks of early marriage while boys are more likely to leave school for work.