MATARAM — The Provincial Government of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) has officially launched a sweeping overhaul of its regional education system. By breaking down bureaucratic silos, the administration aims to standardize Vocational High School (SMK) quality, synchronize drop-out data, fortify inclusive education, and realign curricula with the evolving demands of the business and industrial sectors (DUDI).
The blueprint for this structural reform was finalized during a high-level Education Sector Restricted Meeting (Rapat Terbatas), presided over by NTB Governor Lalu Muhamad Iqbal at the gubernatorial office on Monday, May 18, 2026.
The strategic session brought together the province’s top leadership, including Deputy Governor Indah Dhamayanti Putri, the Regional Secretary (Sekda), and the heads of the Education, Youth, and Sports Department (Dikpora), and Bappeda. Crucially, heads from non-educational line agencies—such as Social Affairs, Labor and Transmigration, and Public Works (PUPRPKP)—were also integrated into the task force.
Governor Iqbal, speaking through Provincial Government Spokesperson Ahsanul Khalik, emphasized that educational vulnerabilities can no longer be treated as isolated, department-specific issues. The involvement of social and labor agencies is deemed essential to untangling the root causes of student dropouts and poor post-graduation employment rates.
”Education issues can no longer be addressed through a partial or sectoral lens. Every regional agency has been instructed to operate within an integrated ecosystem to ensure NTB’s educational advancement aligns perfectly with national priority programs,” stated Ahsanul Khalik, locally known as Aka.
To accelerate implementation on the ground, Governor Iqbal has proactively established direct diplomatic channels with the Indonesian Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, alongside several other technical ministries in Jakarta. This aggressive lobbying effort has yielded positive signals, granting NTB substantial policy space to tap into strategic national funding and structural initiatives.
Through this coordinated federal-regional approach and tight domestic orchestration, the reform is anticipated to significantly elevate NTB’s Human Development Index (HDI) while engineering a competitive, industry-ready workforce.
