Finally, Dedi Mulyadi Meets with Minister of Education after His Criticized Blitz, He is Praised for This

The Shiro Corporation The Governor of West Java, Dedi Mulyadi, finally met with the Minister of Basic and Secondary Education (Mendikdasmen), Abdul Mu'ti.

The meeting took place when Dedi Mulyadi conducted a working visit to the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) in Jakarta on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.

The goal is, as an initial step of synergy between the West Java Provincial Government and the Ministry of Education and Culture in improving education quality.

Dedi Mulyadi met with Abdul Mu'ti and Deputy Minister of Education and Culture, Atip Latipulhayat, to discuss several important issues regarding education in West Java.

"Basically, Minister cares a lot about West Java," said Dedi in an interview with Kompas.com conducted over the phone.

During the meeting, Dedi Mulyadi also expressed his apology for often creating controversial outbursts.

Like the ban on graduation ceremonies, the school's five-day policy without homework (PR) has entered at 06:30 in the morning.

Dedi Mulyadi did not expect that Abdul Mu'ti welcomed his initiative warmly.

"Mr. Minister said that smart people indeed have many ideas," Dedi quoted Abdul Mu'ti.

Despite the pros and cons, the Ministry stated that there has been no official discussion about the policy.

At the end of the visit, Dedi and Abdul Mu'ti made a vlog together which they later uploaded to social media.

In the video, Dedi greeted the people of West Java and encouraged parents to educate their children up to the senior high school level (SMA or SMK).

Thank you to all parents in West Java for sending their children to school until high school and vocational school, whether public or private.

"The Provincial Government of West Java and the Central Government through the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education will strive to provide the best service," he said.

Abdul Mu'ti also concluded the meeting with an inspiring message.

"Strive to learn for a brilliant future," said Abdul Mu'ti.

Ban on Graduation

Diketahui, Dedi Mulyadi sempat berdebat dengan remaja yang baru Aura Cinta, alumnus  SMAN 1 Cikarang Utara terkait pelarangan sekolah menggelar wisuda, Sabtu (26/4/2025)

Aura Cinta mengkritik larangan wisuda dan acara perpisahan sekolah, yang menurutnya penting sebagai momen kenangan dengan teman-teman sekolah.

Meskipun begitu, Dedi Mulyadi menegaskan bahwa inti kenangan tidak terletak pada seremoni wisuda, melainkan pada perjalanan belajar selama bertahun-tahun.

"Kalau tanpa perpisahan, memang kehilangan kenangan? Kenangan bukan pada saat perpisahan, tapi kenangan indah itu saat proses belajar selama tiga tahun," ucap Dedi, Sabtu.

Dedi pun menjelaskan konsep wisuda seharusnya hanya diterapkan di jenjang perguruan tinggi, bukan di tingkat TK, SD, SMP, atau SMA.

The Provincial Government of West Java issued this ban to alleviate the financial burden on parents, especially those who are struggling economically.

Regarding this matter, Abdul Mu'ti believes that school graduation ceremonies can be held as long as they do not burden the parents of the students.

"As long as it does not burden and with the agreement of parents and students, then why wouldn't it be allowed, right," said Abdul Mu'ti in his statement on Tuesday (29/4/2025).

According to him, the most important thing regarding the school graduation ceremony is that it should not be excessive or forced.

Ia pun menuturkan, acara wisuda adalah tanda syukur siswa karena telah berhasil menyelesaikan pendidikan.

The graduation ceremony, he said, can also be a moment to foster closeness among parents, students, and school staff.

"It serves as a sign of joy and also helps to bring parents closer to the school, because some parents may have never been to their child's school at all, only coming to the school when their child graduates, and even then not all parents attend for various reasons," he said.

For that reason, he fully entrusted the implementation of the graduation activities to each school.

Change School Entry Time

In addition, Dedi Mulyadi also issued Circular Letter of Governor of West Java No. 51/PA.03/Disdik which includes regulations on school entry times as well as restrictions on student activities outside the home from 21:00 to 04:00 WIB.

"Once again, schools in West Java start at 06:30," said Dedi Mulyadi in a video uploaded to social media on Wednesday (6/4/2025).

On the other hand, there are regulations at the central government level regarding lesson hours.

Formerly, there was Minister of Education and Culture Regulation Number 23 of 2017 during the tenure of Minister Muhadjir Effendy.

Subsequently, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) issued Presidential Regulation Number 87 of 2017 concerning Character Education.

The Permendikbud and the above Perpres are still in effect. However, in these regulations, there is no mention of the obligation for the start time of school, but rather the total duration of learning hours is regulated.

Rejected by the Student's Parents and Teacher

The head of Fortusis Jabar, Dwi Subianto said that regarding that policy, the rules must be clear, especially when students have arrived at school or are already in class at 06:00 WIB.

"If it is used for recitation practice, then it's fine, it's good. But at 6 in the morning, what could one possibly be doing, whether there is such a thing as a recitation or not, it's impossible to be exercising," he said when contacted on Sunday, June 1, 2025, as reported by Tribun Jabar.

Due to this, Dwi warns that if the government wants to change the curriculum, there must certainly be a main reference to avoid harming the public, considering that each unit has its own main curriculum.

"So there are blue books, and there is a framework, don't change that. Before making a decision in the morning session, there must first be a curriculum review, then determine what content needs to be inserted, and then talk about timing," said Dwi.

For this reason, he suggested that Dedi Mulyadi seek opinions from experts before implementing such policies to ensure they do not end up harming the public, particularly students in every school in West Java province.

So the governor doesn't understand this, it should be that he calls in experts, asks for their opinions, and then decides on the content that is desired.

"If it still needs to be introduced, then change the curriculum so that no one is disadvantaged," he said.

Dwi said that before implementing the policy of entering school at 06:00 WIB, a very thorough study must be conducted to ensure that it does not violate the regulations that have been decided by the central government.

"If this is to be implemented, it needs to be studied, checked if it really complies with the regulations, and aligns with the guidelines and procedures determined by the ministry. In essence, make sure that the guidelines and procedures are consistent," said Dwi.

Separately, Nendah, a resident who is also a teacher, expressed her rejection of the policy.

As a parent, she must prepare breakfast and get her child ready before sending them off to school.

"If I were to ask, I wouldn't agree. Whether it's the position of a mother or a teacher, it's the same," he said on Monday, June 2, 2025.

Nendah added that thorough preparation is very important so that children can concentrate on their studies.

"Nutrition is important so that children can concentrate better on their studies, by packing meals - minimizing random snacking in the school environment," he explained.

I am also concerned about the impact of too early entry times on the child's mood, especially for kindergarten students and lower primary school classes.

"Each child is different and cannot be compared," he added.

In line with Nendah, Adi, a resident of Sukajadi, also rejects the policy.

According to him, moving the school entry time will not solve the discipline problem.

"That doesn't solve the discipline problem. In my opinion, improving discipline isn't about changing school start times, but rather about how one behaves and speaks well to others," he explained.

Adi added that the change in school entry time will force children to leave earlier and will require different adaptations from each child.

The same reaction came from Refi (38), who also expressed disagreement with the plan.

I believe this policy will affect the sleep patterns not only of children, but also the entire family.

"Not entirely agree with it being too early. For example, if school starts at 6 AM, then children and parents would likely have to wake up around 4:45 AM," he said.

Refi hopes that school hours will return to normal time because not all children can adapt to the changes.

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