This page compares the education systems of United Kingdom and Indonesia.
Education System Overview
| Category | United Kingdom | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| System Type | Public/private mix; governance is devolved. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland operate separate education systems with their own school legislation, curricula, qualifications and administrative arrangements. [UK DfE] | Mixed public/private system with decentralized school delivery. National ministries establish curriculum, standards and policy, while provincial and district governments manage much of public-school provision. Religious and private providers operate alongside the state sector. |
| Governing Body | England: Department for Education / Scotland: Scottish Government / Wales: Welsh Government / Northern Ireland: Department of Education. Higher education regulation, funding and student support also differ between the four nations. [UK DfE] | Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) for general school education; Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA) for the madrasah system; and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Kemdiktisaintek) for higher education. |
| Government Expenditure on Education (% of GDP) | UK government expenditure on education was 4.1% of GDP in the 2024–25 financial year. [UK DfE] | 1.3% of GDP in 2023, the latest value in the World Bank/UNESCO UIS series. [World Bank] |
Education Structure & Compulsory Schooling
| Category | United Kingdom | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Compulsory Age Range | England: generally 5–16, followed by a duty to remain in education or training until 18. [GOV.UK] / Scotland: generally about 5–16 / Wales: generally 5–16 / Northern Ireland: normally from primary-school entry at 4 or 5 to the applicable school-leaving date around age 16, subject to statutory deferral provisions for eligible younger children. [Education NI] | The established statutory basic-education requirement covers approximately ages 7–15. National policy is expanding access toward 13 years of education, including one preschool year and education through senior secondary level. [Kemendikdasmen] |
| Total Compulsory Duration (Years) | England: about 11 years of compulsory school-age education, followed by the separate participation requirement to 18 / Scotland: generally about 11 years / Wales: generally about 11 years / Northern Ireland: approximately 12 school years from P1 through Year 12. [Education NI] | 9 years under the established statutory basic-education requirement. The government's 13-year education policy extends the policy target to one year of preschool, six years of primary, three years of junior secondary and three years of senior secondary education. [Kemendikdasmen] |
| Pre-primary Education (ECE) Access | Not compulsory in most pre-school provision. England provides funded early education for all 3- and 4-year-olds; Scotland provides funded early learning and childcare subject to age and eligibility rules; Wales provides funded nursery education for 3- and 4-year-olds; Northern Ireland funds pre-school places but attendance is not compulsory. [GOV.UK] | ECE remains outside the established nine-year statutory requirement, while the 13-year policy prioritizes one preschool year before primary school. Gross PAUD participation was approximately 36.2% in 2025; this indicator covers the broader PAUD population rather than only children aged 3–5. |
| Primary + Secondary Education Structure (Years) | England: Reception, Years 1–6 + 7–11, followed by post-16 routes / Scotland: P1–P7 + S1–S6 / Wales: Reception, Years 1–6 + 7–11, followed by post-16 routes / Northern Ireland: P1–P7 + Years 8–12, with Years 13–14 available for post-16 study. [UK DfE] | 6 + 3 + 3: six years of primary education, three years of junior secondary education and three years of general or vocational senior secondary education. Some vocational programs operate for four years. |
| Vocational vs. General Upper Secondary Split (%) | — | Approximately 33.5% vocational / 66.5% general, based on 2024/25 upper-secondary enrollment across vocational and general/religious pathways. |
Academic Calendar & Instruction Time
| Category | United Kingdom | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Academic Year Start (Typical Month) | England: typically September / Scotland: typically August / Wales: typically September / Northern Ireland: typically September. | July, with exact dates set through provincial and local education calendars. |
| Academic Year End (Typical Month) | England: typically July / Scotland: usually June or early July / Wales: typically July / Northern Ireland: normally June. | June, with regional variation. |
| Instruction Weeks per Year | — | Approximately 36 effective instructional weeks; the exact requirement varies by school level, regional calendar and program. |
| Instruction Days per Year | — | — |
Grading System
| Category | United Kingdom | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Primary/Secondary Grading Scale | England: GCSEs use 9–1; A levels generally use A*–E. [GOV.UK] / Scotland: National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher qualifications use A–D grading / Wales: GCSEs generally use A*–G / Northern Ireland: GCSE grading depends on the awarding body and qualification. | No single mandatory national A–F or fixed numerical passing scale. Schools use learning-achievement criteria, including KKTP, with numerical results, descriptors, rubrics and competency evidence used according to school and subject assessment arrangements. |
| Higher Education Grading Scale | Institution-specific. UK honours bachelor's degrees commonly use First, Upper Second (2:1), Lower Second (2:2) and Third classifications. [Universities UK] | Institution-specific. A 4.00 GPA scale with letter grades is widely used; individual universities determine grade boundaries and intermediate grades. |
Language of Instruction
| Category | United Kingdom | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Instruction Languages (K–12) | England: primarily English / Scotland: primarily English, with Gaelic-medium education / Wales: English and Welsh / Northern Ireland: primarily English, with Irish-medium education. | Bahasa Indonesia is the principal national language of instruction. Regional languages may support instruction in early education where appropriate. |
| Other Official / Minority Instruction Languages (K–12) | Welsh, Scottish Gaelic and Irish are used as languages of instruction within relevant national or regional provision. [Education NI] | Regional and local languages may be used as supporting instructional languages. English is primarily taught as a foreign language and is scheduled to become a compulsory primary-school subject from the 2027/28 academic year. [Kemendikdasmen] |
School Provision & Access (K–12)
| Category | United Kingdom | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Public School Enrollment Share (K–12, % of Students) | — | Approximately 66.5% across primary through senior-secondary education in 2024/25, based on official enrollment totals by school status. Public-school shares differ considerably by education level. |
| Public School Tuition Fee (Annual, Local Currency) | $0 standard tuition for eligible pupils in state-funded compulsory-school provision across the four nations. | $0 tuition for compulsory basic education in government schools. Families may still face permitted ancillary costs or locally administered charges outside standard tuition. |
| Public Schools Nationwide Availability | Yes. State-funded school provision operates throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, under nation-specific administrative and admissions arrangements. [UK DfE] | Yes. Public primary and secondary schools operate across Indonesia's provinces and districts, complemented by the public religious-school network. |
| Private School Enrollment Share (K–12, % of Students) | — | Approximately 33.5% across primary through senior-secondary education in 2024/25, based on official student totals by school status. |
| Private Schools (Geographic Concentration) | — | Nationwide, with substantial private, foundation and religious-school provision in densely populated and urban areas. |
International Schools (K–12)
| Category | United Kingdom | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Number of International Schools (Total) | — | — |
| Number of IB World Schools | 128 schools offered International Baccalaureate programmes across the UK in 2026. [IB] | 81 IB World Schools currently offer at least one IB programme in Indonesia. [IB] |
| Main International Programmes Offered | International Baccalaureate (IB); additional international or foreign-curriculum programmes are offered by individual schools. | International Baccalaureate (IB), Cambridge International, British, American, Australian, Singaporean and other school-specific international or bilingual curricula. |
Resources & Learning Environment (K–12)
| Category | United Kingdom | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Teacher Qualification (Public Schools) | England: Qualified Teacher Status is required for specified maintained-school roles, with different rules applying to some academies and other providers. [GOV.UK] / Scotland: teachers in public education must be registered with the General Teaching Council for Scotland / Wales: QTS and applicable professional registration are required for maintained-school teaching / Northern Ireland: teachers must meet Northern Ireland qualification and registration requirements. [Education NI] | A minimum academic qualification of S-1 bachelor's degree or D-IV applied bachelor's level is the national professional benchmark, alongside teacher-certification requirements for eligible professional teachers. |
| Average Class Size (Primary) | — | Approximately 21 students per class group in the latest nationally published comparable primary dataset. |
| Average Class Size (Lower Secondary) | — | Approximately 28 students per class group in the latest nationally published junior-secondary dataset. |
| Average Class Size (Upper Secondary) | — | Approximately 30 students overall as an indicative upper-secondary figure; general senior-secondary classes average about 32 students while vocational classes are closer to 27. |
System Performance & Learning Outcomes (OECD/PISA)
| Category | United Kingdom | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| PISA Participation Years | 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2022, 2025. [OECD] | 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2022, 2025. Indonesia's first assessment was conducted in 2001 through the PISA 2000 Plus administration. [OECD] |
| PISA 2018 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science) | 502 / 504 / 505 [OECD] | 379 / 371 / 396. |
| PISA 2022 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science) | 489 / 494 / 500 [OECD] | 366 / 359 / 383. [OECD] |
| PISA 2025 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science) | 488 / 494 / 511 [OECD] | 364 / 365 / 389. [Kemendikdasmen] |
| PISA Performance Trend 2000–2025 | Between 2022 and 2025, UK performance was about the same in mathematics and reading and higher in science. Science returned close to its 2012 level. Mathematics and reading remained below their 2018 scores but close to levels observed in earlier cycles. [OECD] | Indonesia's raw scores changed from 366 / 359 / 383 in 2022 to 364 / 365 / 389 in 2025 for mathematics, reading and science respectively. OECD analysis finds the 2022–2025 changes statistically about the same in all three subjects. Results in 2025 remained below Indonesia's 2015 performance. [OECD] |
| Strongest Subject Area (PISA 2025) | Science — 511 points. [OECD] | Science — 389 points. [Kemendikdasmen] |
Higher Education System
| Category | United Kingdom | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Higher Education Institutions (Total) | 304 higher education providers reported student data to HESA in 2024/25. [HESA] | 4,303 institutions in the 2025 national higher-education statistics. [Kemdiktisaintek] |
| Number of Universities (Research Universities) | — | 981 institutions classified as Universitas. Indonesia does not publish a separate statutory category specifically named “research universities.” [Kemdiktisaintek] |
| Number of Universities of Applied Sciences / Colleges | — | The 2025 statistics record 2,885 college/applied institution types: 2,000 Sekolah Tinggi, 389 polytechnics, 465 academies and 31 community academies. Indonesia does not use a single “university of applied sciences” category. [Kemdiktisaintek] |
| Main Institution Types | Universities, specialist higher education providers, university colleges and colleges delivering higher education. Degree-awarding powers and regulatory status vary by nation and provider. [GOV.UK] | Universities, institutes, Sekolah Tinggi, polytechnics, academies and community academies. [Kemdiktisaintek] |
| Tertiary Enrollment Share by Ownership | — | Public/government-managed: approximately 50.3% | private-managed: approximately 49.7% of registered students in 2025. The official breakdown is 40.99% PTN, 7.17% public religious institutions and 2.18% government-service institutions versus 44.95% PTS and 4.71% private religious institutions. [Kemdiktisaintek] |
| English-Taught Degree Programmes (Bachelor + Master, Total) | — | — |
| Share of Tertiary Programmes Taught in National Languages (%) | — | — |
| Share of Tertiary Programmes Taught in English (%) | — | — |
| Main Global Ranking Used | QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS] | QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS] |
| Universities in Top 100 (Selected Ranking) | 16 UK universities were in the global top 100 in QS 2027. [QS] | 0 Indonesian universities in the global top 100 of the QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS] |
| Universities in Top 500 (Selected Ranking) | 48 UK universities were in the global top 500 in QS 2027. [QS] | 7 Indonesian universities in the global top 500 of the QS World University Rankings 2027; Universitas Padjadjaran entered the top 500 at #496. [QS] |
| Universities in Top 1000 (Selected Ranking) | — | 12 Indonesian universities in the global top 1000 of the QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS] |
| National Accreditation / QA Agency (Higher Education) | The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) maintains the UK Quality Code, while regulation and funding remain nation-specific. [QAA] | BAN-PT (National Accreditation Agency for Higher Education), complemented by discipline-specific Independent Accreditation Agencies (LAM). Accreditation processes continued their transition to the SAPTO 2.0 system during 2026. [BAN-PT] |
| International Students (Total) | 685,565 students with a non-UK permanent address were enrolled at UK higher education providers in 2024/25. [HESA] | 8,050 foreign students were studying in Indonesian higher education institutions at the end of 2025. [Kemdiktisaintek] |
| International Students Share of Total Tertiary Enrollment (%) | Approximately 24% of UK higher education enrolments in 2024/25 had a non-UK permanent address; UK-address students accounted for 76%. [HESA] | Approximately 0.07%, based on 8,050 foreign students and 10,754,154 registered tertiary students in 2025. [Kemdiktisaintek] |
Education Costs (Indicative)
| Category | United Kingdom | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Public University Tuition Fees – Domestic / Regional (Annual, Local Currency) | England: up to approximately $13,250 for a standard full-time undergraduate course at eligible fee-cap providers in 2026/27 / Wales: up to approximately $13,250 / Northern Ireland: approximately $6,745 for eligible Northern Ireland students studying at publicly funded institutions in Northern Ireland / Scotland: the standard undergraduate degree fee is approximately $2,460 and is normally paid by SAAS for eligible Scotland-domiciled students. USD equivalents use the Bank of England sterling rate available on 10 September 2026. [GOV.UK] [Bank of England] | A representative 2026/27 regular undergraduate UKT range at Universitas Indonesia is approximately $57–$1,590 per year, converted from IDR 500,000–14,000,000 per semester. Fees vary by institution, program and assigned contribution tier, and some programs charge more. [Universitas Indonesia] |
| Public University Tuition Fees – International / Non-EU (Annual, Local Currency) | International undergraduate tuition commonly ranges from approximately $15,425 to $51,420 per year, based on the published UK range of £11,400–£38,000 and the Bank of England sterling rate available on 10 September 2026. Fees are set by individual universities and courses. [British Council] [Bank of England] | Indicative foreign-student bachelor's tuition at Universitas Gadjah Mada is approximately $2,840–$5,280 per year, converted from IDR 25–46.5 million per semester. One-time institutional development fees are additional and vary by program. [UGM] |
| Typical Tuition Fees for English-Taught Programmes (Annual, Local Currency) | International undergraduate programmes commonly range from approximately $15,425–$51,420 annually; postgraduate programmes commonly range from approximately $12,180–$40,595. [British Council] | Indicative public-university international or English-medium programs are approximately $1,760–$5,280 per year in current ITB postgraduate and UGM international undergraduate examples, excluding one-time charges and partner-university costs. [ITB] |
| Language School Costs (Monthly, Local Currency) | — | Approximately $200–$225 per month equivalent for UGM's 2026 INCULS regular Indonesian-language program, based on IDR 13,692,300 for a 15–17 week semester. [UGM] |
Major Education Updates & Policy Changes
| Category | United Kingdom | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| 2000–2010: Key Updates & Reforms | ||
| 2010–2020: Key Updates & Reforms | ||
| 2020–2024: Key Updates & Reforms | ||
| 2025–2026: Key Updates & Reforms |
General Overview (Narrative)
| Category | United Kingdom | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | The United Kingdom operates four devolved education systems rather than one uniform national school system. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland set their own compulsory-school rules, curricula, qualification structures and teacher requirements. State-funded schooling is available throughout the UK, while compulsory attendance generally continues to around age 16; England also requires young people to remain in education or training until 18. School structures differ, with England and Wales using Reception and Years 1–11, Scotland using P1–P7 and S1–S6, and Northern Ireland using P1–P7 followed by Years 8–12. PISA reports a United Kingdom aggregate: in 2025, the UK scored 488 in mathematics, 494 in reading and 511 in science, with science higher than in 2022. UK higher education included 304 HESA-reporting providers in 2024/25, with 685,565 non-UK students. Current changes remain nation-specific, including England's curriculum review, the launch of Qualifications Scotland, Made-for-Wales GCSEs and continuing qualification reform in Northern Ireland. | Indonesia has a large public/private education system in which national ministries set curriculum and standards while provincial and district authorities manage much of school delivery. The standard structure consists of six years of primary, three years of junior secondary and three years of senior secondary education, with both general and vocational pathways. The statutory basic-education requirement remains nine years, while national policy is expanding access toward a 13-year model that includes one preschool year and education through senior secondary level. Public schools educate about two-thirds of primary and secondary students, alongside a large private and religious-school sector. Bahasa Indonesia is the main language of instruction. In PISA 2025, Indonesia scored 364 in mathematics, 365 in reading and 389 in science; OECD found no statistically clear change from 2022 in the three subjects. Higher education included 4,303 institutions and 10.75 million registered students in 2025. Current changes include deeper-learning approaches, optional Coding and AI subjects, TKA implementation and continued expansion of the 13-year education policy. |