Looking Ahead to the Future of Education: Guiding the Younger Generation in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

In response to this major challenge, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Indonesia, together with CfDS UGM and Kemenko PMK, organized an Experts Talks series entitled “From Guidelines to Practice: Strengthening the Role of Educators, Families, and Communities in the Use of Digital Technology and Artificial Intelligence in Education.” This strategic forum serves as an important platform to examine the practical implementation of the landmark policy enacted on March 12, 2026: the Joint Ministerial Decree of Seven Ministries (SKB 7 Ministers) on AI Governance in Education.

Through this discussion space, policymakers, academics, and education practitioners united around the vision that AI governance is not the responsibility of a single actor. It is a collective endeavor involving the entire ecosystem—from students’ psychological readiness and teacher empowerment to the crucial role of parents at home. Serving as a practical compass amid Indonesia’s regulatory transition, the Joint Ministerial Decree rests on five key pillars: human-centered approaches, digital wellness, parental involvement, literacy enhancement, and periodic evaluation.

“It looks good on paper, but our greatest challenge is implementation. We must not allow technology to dictate the direction of education. Education must remain the compass.”

— Prof. Ojat Darojat, Deputy for Coordination of Education Quality Improvement, Kemenko PMK

Exploring the dimension of child protection, the forum—enriched by experts from KPAI, ID-COP, Save the Children, UNESCO, and UNICEF—highlighted three critical priorities that require immediate implementation:

• Children’s Rights and Well-Being Are Paramount: AI in schools is not merely a matter of technical sophistication but of children’s psychological comfort and well-being. As emphasized by Andy Ardian (ID-COP), we need intelligent systems capable of detecting AI-related interaction risks rather than rigidly blocking content.
• Stop Commercial Surveillance: The forum established a shared commitment to strictly protect children’s privacy, including rejecting the use of children’s data for commercial profiling and prohibiting facial and emotional recognition technologies in school environments.
• Building Resilience, Not Restriction: Policies should produce adaptive “Do’s and Don’ts” guidelines that empower children to use technology wisely rather than simply limiting their opportunities.

Through the Joint Ministerial Decree of Seven Ministries, the collective work of the education ecosystem begins—positioning AI as an accelerator of equal learning opportunities, from major cities to remote regions.