Dessy Sagita – A coalition of parents, educators and activists have urged President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to drop the new school curriculum, scheduled to roll out in July, as they believe it will not improve the nation's education system.

"Today [Friday], the coalition against the 2013 curriculum is filing a letter requesting the plan to implement a new curriculum to be dropped," Siti Juliantari Rachman, a researcher from Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW), said on Friday.

The president had previously said that he wanted education officials to do thorough research before implementing a new national curriculum, adding that he would listen to ministry officials and education experts before the plan went ahead.

The national plan, which drops mandatory English, science and social sciences in favor of Bahasa Indonesia, nationalism and religion, has come under fire from education experts who warn that the move will make Indonesians less competitive in a global job market.

The Ministry of Education had previously said that elementary students could still study basic science and social studies, adding that they would be integrated into Indonesian-language lessons.

Despite claiming that the new curriculum would mean less of a burden for the students, the ministry has also decided to increase the school hours to 38 per week to 32.