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For parents ยท October 2026

Five questions about your child's data before you choose a preschool

Facilities and curriculum are easy to see on a visit. How a school handles your child's data is not visible, but you can ask.

In August 2026 it was reported that some parents in Indonesia had found their children listed as active students in Dapodik, the national education database, at preschools they did not know, although the children had not started school. According to the report, the suspected motive was to raise enrolment numbers and so receive more operational funding. The education ministry opened complaint channels, and a member of the parliamentary education commission called for an investigation.

Indonesia's Personal Data Protection Law (Law 27 of 2022) lists children's data as specific personal data in Article 4, in the same group as health and biometric data. A school that keeps your child's data holds a kind of data the law treats with more care.

What you can ask

  1. What data do you collect at enrolment, and what is each item for? Copies of the family card and birth certificate are normal requests. A well-organised school can explain the use of every field.
  2. Where is the data kept and who can open it? A locked cabinet, a school computer and a teacher's own phone carry different risks.
  3. Who fills in Dapodik, and may I see my child's entry? You can also check your child's national student number (NISN) on the ministry's official site.
  4. What are the rules for photos and videos of children? Ask whether written permission is needed before a child's photo is shared in a WhatsApp group or on the school's social media.
  5. What happens to my child's data after they leave? A good answer says how long data is kept and how it is deleted.

How to read the answers

You do not need perfect answers. Notice whether the school has answers, and whether the principal and the class teacher give the same ones. In our view a school that keeps its data in order tends to keep other things in order that you cannot see, such as attendance records, finances and notes on each child's development.

This article is not legal advice.

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