Remarks of President of the Republic of Indonesia during a Meeting with 150 Researchers from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, on Thursday, August 6, 2026

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim.

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

Good afternoon,

Peace be upon us all,

Shalom,

Salve,

Om Swastiastu,

Namo Buddhaya,

Greetings of virtue.

Distinguished Professor Arif Satria, Head of the National Research and Innovation Agency, Professor Amarulla Octavian, Deputy Head of the National Research and Innovation Agency, and BRIN leadership and personnel.

First and foremost, let us always extend our deepest gratitude to Almighty God for the grace and blessings He has bestowed upon us, for the health and breath of life that He has granted us, enabling us to gather here this afternoon in good health and well-being.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I deliberately invited you to the Presidential Palace because I would like to gain an understanding, perhaps for the first time, although not yet in a detailed or comprehensive manner, of the achievements that you have accomplished at BRIN. Thank you for coming to the palace and I hope to have the opportunity to visit your campuses. I have visited them in the past. If I am not mistaken, I once visited the former LIPI campus in Cibinong, as well as several other locations.

Indeed, Ladies and Gentlemen, we all understand that the progress and development of a nation are determined by its ability to master science and technology. A nation that succeeds in doing so will advance rapidly.

The key lies in science and technology. This is a both fact and a reality. And to achieve mastery of science and technology, education is the most fundamental and indispensable foundation.

Therefore, I would like to encourage my team as well as all of you, approach our responsibilities in a manner based upon facts, reality, and the actual circumstances. When I lead, I prefer to lead on the basis of facts, reality, and the conditions as they truly are. Sometimes facts are unpleasant. Sometimes confronting reality is unpleasant. I say this frankly.

Let me give you a simple example. Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world, with a population of approximately 300 million, or 287 million people. Yet I am deeply disappointed, frankly speaking, that even in football we have been unable to qualify for the World Cup. This is an unpleasant fact.

How can a small country such as Cape Verde qualify? Cape Verde has qualified. Its population may well be comparable to that of Sumedang Regency, perhaps even smaller. Many other small countries have qualified as well. We must engage in honest introspection. We must examine the facts. In my view, there is no benefit in complaining.

I use football merely as an example. I could offer many others, but let us take football as our example. Surely no one here will take offence at a discussion of football. Is that correct? Perhaps Minister of Youth and Sports may feel concerned. But he has only recently assumed the position, although he has also been involved with PSSI for some time. Nevertheless, he has worked extraordinarily hard. We came very close to qualifying recently. Very close indeed. Perhaps our strategy needs to be more sophisticated.

What I mean is this: we must look at the facts. A country as large as Indonesia has yet to qualify for the World Cup. As I have said, we must not complain, nor must we search for scapegoats. This will not help us. Instead, we must learn. How did other countries qualify? Why were they able to do so? What did they do? Where did their coaches come from? Cape Verde has a population of approximately 500,000. Yes, that is correct. Sumedang has a larger population and Bogor has an even larger one. Thus, we must identify the causes. Once we understand them, we must have the courage to act. Science and technology.

We need intelligent and capable people. We have no shortage of talent. I recall Professor Habibie once saying that we must never be afraid. Even if only one percent of Indonesia’s population were highly capable, that would amount to nearly three million people. This means that we possess an immense reservoir of human potential. However, whatever potential we possess must be identified, cultivated, given opportunities, developed, and supported through a sustained process.

Therefore, our approach to national progress must rest on this principle. The aspiration of our founding fathers, and indeed our aspiration as well, is to build a nation free from poverty and injustice. If we are to address these challenges scientifically and rationally, then we must remain guided by reason. Otherwise, we risk reaching the wrong conclusions. Rationality, science, mathematics, reality. Reality is science. Reality is mathematics. If we approach these matters through any framework other than rational thought, we enter a different realm together. We must remain firmly anchored in facts.

Sometimes, therefore, facts can be uncomfortable. There is an international assessment known as PISA, the Programme for International Student Assessment, which compares the quality of education across countries. Our performance has not been as strong as it should be. If we examine the PISA Reading score, our score, as you can see there, is only slightly higher than that of the Philippines. We remain below Thailand, below Malaysia, below the Netherlands, below Vietnam, below the OECD average, below Japan, and below Singapore.

As for Singapore, I do not believe we need to be excessively concerned. Singapore has a population of approximately five million people. It is essentially a city-state. Minister of Education of Singapore cannot really be compared directly with Minister of Education of Indonesia. Indonesia has approximately 388,000 schools, if I am not mistaken. Our schools are spread across mountainous regions, remote islands, and many other challenging locations. Even the heads of education offices in North Maluku or North Sulawesi must consider how they can inspect schools in Miangas and on other remote islands. Therefore, in my view, Singapore has succeeded, and that is commendable. But Singapore is a city-state. Its Minister of Education can travel throughout the entire country. Perhaps within two hours, he could inspect almost every school in Singapore. The schools are accessible from his office. It is a reality. It is a reality. Singapore has succeeded.

Our circumstances, however, are far more challenging. Yet, those challenges must never become an excuse for believing that we do not need to catch up. This is the reality to which I refer. This is how others see us. We should acknowledge their assessment, but we must not be intimidated by it. They view our situation from the outside. They may not fully understand the challenges we face as a vast and geographically complex nation. That is what I mean. Let us accept these assessments as both a warning and an opportunity for correction. We must identify our shortcomings and determine how best to overcome them. Between 2003 and 2006, our performance was relatively strong, but subsequently it declined. This is according to their assessment, whether in reading, mathematics, or other areas. Very well. This is simply an illustration of the situation.

This is precisely what I mean, Ladies and Gentlemen. To achieve a high level of innovation, deliver breakthroughs, make discoveries, secure patents, and advance across other fields of technological development, the fundamental foundation is education. That is why I am determined to make substantial investments in education for our future generations.

I am committed to improving the physical condition of schools throughout our country. We are also developing excellent schools for our most talented students. We can identify and select these students so that they may subsequently pursue their education at the world’s finest universities. At these excellent schools, we will implement the International Baccalaureate, or IB, curriculum. They must meet the same standards as the most talented and outstanding students in the world. We expect them to be able to gain admission to the world’s finest universities. That is our first approach. Our second approach is cooperation. We will invite the world’s leading universities to establish cooperation with our universities here in Indonesia. This may take the form of joint programs, operational cooperation, or other appropriate arrangements. Therefore, we have two approaches. This is a long-term investment.

We must undertake a process of national self-correction. Our investment in research and development remains far too limited. It is far below the level it ought to be. This is a matter we must address, and going forward we will make every effort to improve it. To achieve it, we require funding. We must secure the funding. Where will the funding come from? It will come from efficiency and savings, from the elimination of corrupt and fraudulent practices, from ending under-invoicing, and from improvement of the mismanagement public resources. (RI/EP)