If Education Doesn’t Change, Indonesia Will Stall
By: Dr. Ali Aminulloh, M.Pd.I., ME.
Indonesia appears to be moving forward. Budgets are increasing, projects are underway, and economic growth targets are being pursued. But behind the hustle and bustle, Sheikh Al-Zaytun A.S. Panji Gumilang, S.Sos., M.P., asked a simple yet disturbing question: is this nation truly progressing, or is it merely stagnating?
He posed this question during the opening ceremony of the Al-Zaytun Mahad Student Training on Sunday, December 28, 2025. The closing session concluded a series of educator training sessions designed from the outset not simply to improve teaching skills but also as a space for reflection on the direction of Indonesian education.
“Those who stagnate,” the Sheikh said calmly, “will end up in the same place.” This short sentence served as an entry point for his critique of the national development model, which, he argued, appears to be moving but has not yet addressed the root of the problem.
The Measure of a Developed Country Is Not a Slogan
For the Sheikh, the measure of a developed country lies not in slogans or political rhetoric, but rather in the Human Development Index (HDI). Developed countries are at 85. Indonesia currently hovers around 74. There’s a gap that can’t be closed with patchwork policies.
Social assistance programs, the Sheikh said, are indeed important for maintaining community resilience. However, aid only helps people survive, not advance. Without fundamental changes in education, this nation will only continue to manage poverty, not break its cycle.
One Non-Negotiable Path
In the training, the Sheikh emphasized a key view: Indonesia has only one strategic path to progress: equal and quality education. It should not be elitist, unequal, and dependent on family economic capacity.
He initiated the establishment of approximately 500 boarding education centers throughout Indonesia. Each center has the same size, quality, and curriculum. The state is fully present, financing children’s education for 15 to 16 years.
In this concept, education is no longer a privilege, but a fundamental right. All children live and learn within the same system, shaped not only to be intelligent but also to be responsible citizens.
Education as an Engine of a Just Economy
Interestingly, the Sheikh does not separate education from the economy. Instead, he positions education as the primary engine of equitable economic growth.
He differentiates between Gross Domestic Product and economic growth. GDP is the harvest. Economic growth is how that harvest is distributed. If education is concentrated in large cities, the economy will remain concentrated in the same places.
Conversely, if education is spread across hundreds of regions, education funds will circulate directly within the regencies. Previously underdeveloped regions will transform into new centers of economic activity. Education, in the Sheikh’s view, is the most productive state expenditure.
The L-STEAMS Curriculum and the Formation of the Whole Person
All educational centers are designed using the L-STEAMS curriculum—Law, Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics, and Spirituality. This curriculum not only pursues academic achievement but also shapes character, ethics, and spiritual awareness.
Children are not only taught to read, count, and master technology, but also to live honestly, disciplined, and trustworthy. Education, said the Shaykh, must produce complete human beings, not just workers.
Calculated Growth Projections
In the rollout, the Shaykh also outlined projections for gradual economic growth if education is implemented consistently.
In 2026, when educational centers begin operating, economic growth is estimated to reach 5.5 percent.
Entering 2027, budget distribution and local economic activity will strengthen, driving growth to 6.2 percent.
In 2028, early graduates of applied education will begin to be productive, driving growth to 7.1 percent.
And in 2029, national economic growth is projected to reach 8 percent.
According to the Shaykh, these achievements are not the result of a miracle of instant policies, but rather the result of significant investment in the education sector. Over five years, an education budget of approximately 3,000 trillion rupiah will generate a turnover of approximately 6 trillion rupiah per district per year, or 30 trillion rupiah in five years in each region.
A Sure Path to 2045
At the end of the training, the Sheikh emphasized that education is a silent endeavor. The results are not always immediately visible, but their impact determines the course of the nation’s history.
If Indonesia truly wants to leapfrog by 2045, the answer lies not only in large projects or magnificent buildings, but in the courage to transform education comprehensively. From the humble classrooms
that is why Indonesia’s future is slowly but surely being shaped.***
Indonesia, December 29, 2025
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