Smart TV Distribution in Indonesia Deemed Unsuitable; Here's the Education Ministry Explanation

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September 14, 2025 | 11:11 am

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's Ministry of Education and Culture has explained the government's insistence on continuing the program of distributing smart TVs to schools. They believe that digitalizing learning can accelerate the improvement of education quality.

The Director-General of Early Childhood Education, Basic Education, and Secondary Education, Gogot Suharwoto, stated that the use of interactive flat panels (IFP) in education has several advantages, including increasing student motivation, better understanding of the material, and the development of contemporary skills. "So, digitalization has the potential to enhance the quality of learning in schools," said Gogot in a written statement on Saturday, September 13, 2025.

The government plans to provide one smart TV for each school. President Prabowo stated that this program aims to enable schools to conduct distance learning while addressing the issue of a shortage of competent teachers. The hope is that highly competent teachers can teach all students, including those in remote areas.

According to Gogot, the provision of this assistance does not mean the government is neglecting school infrastructure development and teacher welfare. "The physical infrastructure development is still ongoing, as is the government's commitment to improve teacher welfare and quality," he said.

Furthermore, Gogot denied that the distribution of smart TVs missed its target. He stated that they first verify the readiness of facilities and infrastructure in the target schools based on education portal data. He emphasized that as long as a school declares its readiness to receive smart TVs and meets the criteria, it will be included in the digitalized learning program.

"As long as a school declares its readiness and meets the above criteria, the school will be the recipient of the digitalized learning program," Gogot said.

The distribution of smart TVs has been ongoing since May 2025 and is targeted to reach all regions in Indonesia by mid-2026. By the end of this year, a total of 330 smart TVs will be distributed to various levels of educational institutions.

The program has received attention as it is seen as not meeting the needs of schools. One of the criticisms is the distribution of aid to elite private schools such as SMA Kolase Gonzaga in South Jakarta. The Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI) strongly criticized the government's move to distribute aid without conditions and needs identification.

According to the Coordinator of JPPI, Ubaid Matraji, many schools in remote areas do not have the necessary facilities to implement digitalization, while elite schools that also receive aid actually already have these facilities. "This leads to only temporary and suboptimal utilization," he said on Friday, September 12, 2025.

If continued without transparency improvements, Ubaid stated that this program, with a budget of trillions, will end up in corruption cases. "None of us want the education sector to be plagued by corruption. This must end," he said.

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