Bandung, 27 January 2026 — The SEAMEO Centre for Early Childhood Care and Education and Parenting (SEAMEO CECCEP) received an official visit from the Directorate of Early Childhood Education (ECE) on Tuesday (27 January). The visit aimed to strengthen strategic collaboration in the development of policies, programs, and innovations in early childhood education and family services, particularly in the areas of learning digitalization, revitalization of ECE institutions, and character education strengthening.
The Director of ECE, Dr. Nia Nurkhasanah, M.Pd, stated that the Directorate of ECE had been promoting a comprehensive transformation of ECE services, ranging from regulatory strengthening and provision of facilities and infrastructure to the development of a digital learning ecosystem. One of the main policy foundations was Presidential Instruction Number 7 of 2025 on Education Revitalization, which emphasized the importance of improving the quality of education services through adaptive, inclusive, and sustainable approaches.
“Digitalization in early childhood education was an urgent necessity, especially to enhance educators’ capacity, as many still faced limitations in both competencies and budgetary support. We expected SEAMEO CECCEP to play an active role in supporting the development of high-quality, relevant, and contextual digital ECE content,” Dr. Nia stated.
During the meeting, participants also discussed priority programs for the revitalization of ECE institutions, including the development of safe and child-friendly schools, the arrangement of outdoor play areas, and the planning of ECE models in areas with limited land availability. In addition, the Directorate of ECE highlighted the importance of strengthening character education through various national programs, such as the Seven Habits of Great Indonesian Children, Morning Cheerful Activities (Pagi Ceria), the Free Nutritious Meal Program (MBG) with a nutrition education approach, and support for the implementation of 13 Years of Compulsory Education.
The 13 Years of Compulsory Education policy was also directed at expanding equitable access to ECE based on the principle of no child left behind. Local governments, particularly at the sub-district level, were encouraged to establish public ECE institutions, especially State Model Kindergartens (TK Negeri Pembina), as well as to develop integrated ECE–Primary School (PAUD–SD) models, construct new classrooms, and establish ECE institutions in villages that previously lacked ECE services. In this context, SEAMEO CECCEP was expected to support mentoring for the development of new ECE institutions, with an initial target of hundreds of priority locations.
The Directorate of ECE also emphasized the importance of data quality and regular updates in the National Education Data System (Dapodik) as a basis for education policy formulation. Accurate and objective data, including linkages with National Identification Numbers (NIK), Student Identification Numbers (NISN), and families’ socio-economic conditions, served as a foundation for government interventions such as the Indonesia Smart Program (PIP), which was expected to be further strengthened for ECE learners.
Other agendas discussed included the strengthening of deep learning approaches in ECE, such as STEAM-based learning, literacy and numeracy enhancement, the introduction of coding for young children, and the development of model schools that could be replicated nationally.
In response, the Director of SEAMEO CECCEP expressed the institution’s commitment to actively supporting the priority agenda of the Directorate of ECE. In the presentation, SEAMEO CECCEP introduced its institutional mandate as well as the planned launch of the ASEAN–SEAMEO Joint Roadmap on Early Childhood Care and Education, which was expected to serve as a framework for regional collaboration in ECE development.
The visit was expected to become a concrete initial step in deepening synergy between the Directorate of ECE and SEAMEO CECCEP, resulting in tangible “policy and program outcomes” through real collaboration that had a direct impact on improving the quality of early childhood education services in Indonesia, including strengthened ECE affirmative actions in special regions such as Papua and the expansion of ECE networks at the global level.
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