While the Government of Indonesia has made international commitments to achieve universal basic education by 2015, there are still many issues surrounding education which go beyond the issue of access; these include, in particular, issues of equity and quality. In order to deal with these problems, the government needs to be able to rely on the availability of evidence-based recommendations drawn from sound research.

Last year in November 2011, The SMERU Research Institute jointly with the Ministry of National Education (now the Ministry of Education and Culture), the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas), and UNICEF Indonesia held a research seminar on Child Education Policy in Indonesia. The seminar was conducted as part of SMERU’s ongoing collaboration with UNICEF to support policy development on child- and poverty-related issues. A call for papers was announced prior to the seminar and 20 selected policy papers were presented and discussed in the seminar. Issues concerning access, equity, and quality were evident throughout the discussion, such as the gaps in quality assurance between socioeconomic groups as well as regions, the impact of early childhood education, efficiency in school management, and parent and community participation in education service delivery.

This edition presents 5 articles derived from the 20 policy papers. A forthcoming SMERU policy brief and policy paper will further contribute to the policy discourse on children’s well-being. It is undeniable that the availability of information and evidence provide policymakers with objective insight of the matter at hand and help them define clear policy direction and objectives, making credible research the basis of policymaking