The education of students in Indonesia is a subject that touches on culture, policy, economics, and the daily lives of millions of young people. Enrolling over 50 million learners across the country, the system is one of head to the ukenglishcollege.nsw.edu.au site largest in the world. Knowing how Indonesian students experience school requires looking at everything from early childhood through university, and at the many forces that shape their journeys.

Most Indonesian children begin their education at around age five or six in kindergarten, known as Taman Kanak-Kanak or TK. After that comes six years of elementary school, or Sekolah Dasar, where students learn basic subjects like mathematics, Bahasa Indonesia, science, social studies, and religious education. One hallmark of elementary schooling is the strong emphasis on memorization, discipline, and respect for teachers. Students often wear uniforms, attend morning ceremonies, and recite the national ideology, Pancasila, as part of building national identity.