By Bara Winatha)
The Sekolah Garuda Program, also known as SMA Unggul Garuda Baru, represents one of the government’s strategic initiatives to strengthen the equitable distribution of quality education in Indonesia. Conceived as part of the national priority to develop human resources, the initiative is designed to open broad access for the nation’s most talented youth from various regions, including areas that have long lacked high-standard educational facilities. By establishing four new schools in strategic locations, the government seeks to ensure that quality education is no longer concentrated in major cities, but instead reaches all corners of the country in a fairer and more balanced manner.
Director General of Science and Technology at the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, Ahmad Najib Burhani, stated that four new Sekolah Garuda campuses are currently being prepared and are targeted to be operational by June 2026. The selected locations include Belitung Timur in the Bangka Belitung Islands, Soe in Timor Tengah Selatan Regency (East Nusa Tenggara), Konawe Selatan in Southeast Sulawesi, and Tanjung Selor in North Kalimantan. The choice of these regions reflects a deliberate effort to promote regional equity, ensuring that flagship schools are not confined to Java Island but also established in eastern and border areas of Indonesia.
Sekolah Garuda Baru is designed to accommodate outstanding talents from across Indonesia. Each school will admit 160 students per cohort, totaling 640 students for the 2026–2027 academic year. The schools are envisioned as centers for nurturing high-achieving young individuals with strong academic potential and global competitiveness. In this sense, Sekolah Garuda is positioned not merely as a senior secondary institution, but as a crucible for shaping the nation’s future leaders.
From the perspective of learning strategy and system development, Director of Strategy and Transformative Learning Systems at the Ministry, Ardi Findyartini, emphasized that Sekolah Garuda focuses not only on physical infrastructure but also on the quality of the educational process. The policy is designed to ensure that high-achieving students from underprivileged families have equal opportunities to access excellent education.
She further explained that the student selection process applies high academic standards. Prospective students must have a minimum report card score of 85 in Bahasa Indonesia, English, and Mathematics, or demonstrate achievements in STEM fields curated by the National Achievement Center. By mid-registration, more than one thousand applicants from various regions had registered through the online system, reflecting strong nationwide enthusiasm for the equitable-based flagship school initiative.
Sekolah Garuda is structured to facilitate students’ entry into top universities, both domestically and internationally. Students will receive English proficiency mapping and support for international university applications, including assistance in securing a letter of acceptance. Therefore, the school functions not only as a secondary education institution but also as a strategic bridge toward world-class higher education.
In terms of faculty recruitment, the government is in the process of selecting 96 teachers and educational staff members to be assigned across the four schools, with 24 personnel per campus. The recruitment process is rigorous to ensure that selected educators possess strong academic competence, character, and global capability. Requirements include a maximum age of 32 years, certification through the Teacher Professional Education Program, a minimum GPA of 3.25, a master’s degree qualification, and a specified English proficiency score on an international test.
Meanwhile, Commission X Member of the House of Representatives (DPR RI), Abdul Fikri Faqih, expressed full support for the Sekolah Garuda policy initiated by President Prabowo Subianto. He viewed the program as an important step in addressing the nation’s lag in technology and engineering. According to him, advanced countries have long prepared their younger generations in science and engineering fields, and Indonesia must undertake strategic leaps to remain competitive in the global arena.
Abdul explained that Sekolah Garuda is envisioned as an incubator for gifted students, directly connecting them with universities both at home and abroad. Educational orientation, he argued, must shift toward applied technology mastery and the strengthening of STEM competencies. Within this framework, Sekolah Garuda serves as a key policy instrument to ensure that Indonesian children with exceptional potential receive optimal development.
The public is encouraged to view this program as part of a broader national human resource development strategy. Strengthening the education sector, he noted, requires collaboration between the government, legislature, and society. Support for Sekolah Garuda is seen as a long-term investment in cultivating a generation that is not only academically capable but also adaptive to global technological advancements.
Through the synergy of strategic planning, budgetary support, merit-based student selection, and high-quality teacher recruitment, Sekolah Garuda is expected to become a model for strengthening national excellence in education. Equity remains the program’s central principle. By situating campuses beyond traditional growth centers, the initiative conveys a powerful message: exceptional talent can emerge from anywhere. With this step, the government reaffirms its commitment to delivering inclusive, competitive, and equitable quality education for all Indonesian children.
)The author is a social and community affairs observer
