Currently, the Ministry of Education and Culture has a data collection system for students with disabilities that is integrated with the data collection system (Data Pokok Pendidikan, or Dapodik) at all types and levels of education units. This data aims to provide information about the presence of students with disabilities in special education or general education units and is updated periodically by schools. Law No. 8 of 2016 and its derivative regulation, Government Regulation No. 13 of 2020 on the Proper Accommodation for Students with Disabilities, provide an opportunity for the government to strengthen and improve the quality of education services in terms of the availability of accommodative learning and teachers with special competencies or facilities/tools that support students in their abilities to fully participate in class.

One of the efforts being made by the Ministry of Education and Culture is the strengthening of the Continuous Professional Development Management Information System (Sistem Infomasi Manajemen Pengembangan Keprofesian Berkelanjutan, or SIMPKB), which is a data collection system for students with disabilities in education units. SIMPKB was selected because the data collection information is updated by teachers who better understand the needs and difficulties that students face in the classroom, such as the ability to read and the difficulties in managing their behaviors in class. These teachers also recognize the need for additional time, special teachers, and assistants; they are also able to identify various things that prevent students from being able to fully participate in class.

In 2019, the Directorate General of Teachers and Education Personnel for Secondary and Special Education, the Directorate General of Community Education and Special Education, and related directorates supported by the TASS and INOVASI programs conducted a pilot for collecting data of students with disabilities and their needs using the Student Learning Profile (Profil Belajar Siswa, or PBS) instrument, which is integrated with the SIMPKB. During the pilot, the data of approximately 11,000 out of 99,000 students from around 2,300 education units from elementary school (SD), junior high school (SMP), senior high school, and vocational senior high school (SMA/SMK) was collected. The data gave an overview of the need for additional competency for classroom teachers and the need for special education teachers. This competency mapping refers to the Regulation of the Minister of National Education No. 32 of 2008 on Standard Academic Qualification and Competency of Special Education Teachers.

During this pilot, teachers, schools, education offices, universities, and other institutions provided inputs to improve data collection related to the instruments, the process of data entry by teachers, and easier data analysis. This is important because in addition to helping teachers and schools, the data collection activity can assist parents in developing and supporting student learning at home or in the community.

Collecting the data on students with disabilities was delayed in 2020 because the Ministry of Education and Culture prioritized handling the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, the Ministry of Education and Culture and INOVASI will resume with a second pilot for the data collection process in order to find more effective and efficient solutions, improve manual and application-based data collection, and share information and results from the data analysis with the local governments and other relevant agencies. A limitation that is still a challenge is collecting information about the presence of students with disabilities who are either not in school or are not enrolled in school.

The data gathered during the pilot will support the SIMPKB data collection system. Information from SIMPKB will help schools and the government administer a more targeted approach or policy that is based on data, addressing issues such as managing funding, providing human resources in schools, and evaluating the effectiveness of inclusive education in order to improve the learning outcomes of students with disabilities and minimize their difficulties. This will enable those students to fully participate in the learning process.

SIMPKB is not only dedicated to students with disabilities but also to students in general at the elementary, junior high school, and senior high school/vocational senior high school levels. SIMPKB can capture students’ external factors, such as family conditions, economic status, and situations that include living in remote areas, early marriage, bullying, and other social conditions or social exclusion that inhibit access and the quality of education in schools.