Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai, affirmed that the West Java Regional Government's program to send children to military barracks does not violate human rights. Pigai made this statement after meeting with West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi in Jakarta on Thursday, May 8, 2025.
"We just finished our dialogue, and upon checking, it turns out that everything is in line with human rights," said Pigai.
He clarified that the program of sending children to military barracks is far removed from corporal or physical punishment, which he had initially feared.
Pigai described the program as a visionary policy, saying, "This is a very visionary idea, to advance human resources in skill-based education, competency enhancement, and mental resilience."
He further praised Dedi Mulyadi's initiative, calling it a brilliant solution to the ongoing challenges in Indonesia's education sector.
Pigai also stated that, if the program proves successful, the Ministry of Human Rights would propose incorporating it into the national education framework through the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.
"The Ministry of Education can issue regulations to implement this model on a massive scale throughout Indonesia," Pigai added.
Dedi Mulyadi's military-style character education program for students has been in effect since May 1, 2025, starting in Purwakarta and Bandung. The program involves the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) in fostering discipline and character development.
Dedi explained that children selected for this program are those with tendencies toward criminal behavior and whose parents are unable to educate them.
"The criteria are children who have tendencies toward criminal behavior and whose parents are unable to educate them. This means that the students handed over are those whose parents at home no longer want to, or are unable to, educate them. So if the parents do not hand them over, we will not accept them," Dedi stated on Friday, May 2, 2025.