Prabowo's Direction requests Portuguese to be taught in schools

Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto has suddenly decided that Portuguese will be taught in schools in Indonesia. This decision was delivered in the presence of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. For your information, President Prabowo met with President Lula at the State Palace, Jakarta on Thursday afternoon (23/10/2025). The two discussed a lot during the bilateral meeting, including the Portuguese language. Scroll TO CONTINUE CONTENT When Prabowo discussed Portuguese, Prabowo initially emphasized that Brazil is an important partner for Indonesia. He believes that both countries will achieve good things. “I am sure that we will deliver better performances in the future,” Prabowo said. Prabowo also emphasized that Brazil is an important partner. As a result, he decided that Portuguese would be taught in Indonesian schools. “As proof that we consider Brazil very important, I have decided that Portuguese will be one of the priority languages ​​of Indonesian educational disciplines,” Prabowo said. Prabowo to give directions on Portuguese language Prabowo admitted that he will give the Minister of Higher Education and Science and Technology Brian Yularto and the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Abdul Mu’ti to follow up on this matter. He hopes that this step will soon be implemented in schools. “And will instruct the Minister of Higher Education and the Minister of Basic Education of Indonesia to start teaching Portuguese in our schools. This is proof that the relationship between Brazil and Indonesia is very great,” Prabowo said. Meanwhile, during the meeting, President Lula also hoped that Brazil and Indonesia could achieve profitable cooperation for the two countries. Mainly in the economy to science sectors. “I hope that in this visit to Indonesia, and during our meetings, we can guarantee political, economic, social, scientific benefits for the Indonesian people and for the Brazilian people,” said Lula. DPR Commission X questions the benefits of Portuguese. Chair of Commission Hetifah asked for clarity on the benefits of Portuguese for students. “We definitely welcome every government effort to enrich the foreign language skills of Indonesian students,” Hetifah told reporters on Thursday (10/23/2025). “However, it is necessary to ensure that the teaching of Portuguese, like other foreign languages, has a clear basis, both in terms of strategic advantages, diplomatic relations and relevance to students’ future needs,” he continued. Hetifah encouraged the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) to conduct an in-depth study on the potential for cooperation with Portuguese-speaking countries. Apart from that, there should be a study of the impact of implementation on the current curriculum. “In principle, we support education policies that strengthen the global competitiveness of Indonesian students, as long as they are carried out with careful planning and maintain the priority of Indonesian and regional languages ​​as national identity,” he said. (month/month)