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Critics slam Prabowo’s smart screens as misplaced education priority
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A teacher explains about a learning material using a smart TV to students at SDIT Persis Ciganitri Islamic elementary school in Bandung regency, West Java on May 2, 2025. The usage of interactive screen in classrooms is part of initiatives announced by President Prabowo Subianto on May 2, in commemoration of the National Education Day, to improve the country's education system. (Antara/Abdan Syakura)
P
resident Prabowo Subianto’s initiative to equip every school with so-called “smart screens” has been met with concerns of a misplaced priority, with experts contending that the budget for the high-tech equipment should instead be used to solve more fundamental problems surrounding the country’s education system.
During the National Education Day celebration earlier this month, President Prabowo, accompanied by Elementary and Secondary Education Minister Abdul Mu’ti, visited a grade six classroom at SDN Cimahpar 5 state elementary school in Bogor, West Java, to see the smart screen program in action.
In a video uploaded by the schools ministry, students took turns using the screen to solve math and science quizzes in the form of interactive games, guided by their teacher.
In his speech following the classroom tour, Prabowo announced that the screens will be rolled out to the first handful of schools within months, with a goal of reaching every school in the country within a year.
“[Through these screens], we can provide the best lessons [for students across the country]. And this will be beneficial for schools, both in cities and in the country’s least-developed regions, which have difficulty getting materials or teachers who are experts in certain fields,” the President said.
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Schools Minister Mu’ti later confirmed that the government has allocated Rp 2 trillion (US$121 million) to procure the smart screens as well as to train teachers in operating the equipment.
