This article is written and published by Teach For All

Teach First Indonesia joins the Teach For All network

We’re thrilled to welcome our newest partner, Teach First Indonesia, to Teach For All. With a vision to create a future where all children in Indonesia are equipped with the skills and mindsets needed to break the cycle of poverty and build a brighter future, Teach First Indonesia is focused on developing future leaders to transform education and create systemic change.

As the world’s fourth largest nation – home to over 288 million people – Indonesia is on a historic trajectory, projected to become the world’s fourth-largest economy by 2050. Yet, this incredible economic potential faces a critical bottleneck: a severe educational equity gap. Today, more than 7 million Indonesians over the age of 10 cannot read or write, and over 80% of 15-year-olds struggle with basic math. This crisis is compounded by a systemic deficit of more than 100,000 qualified teachers due to uneven distribution of talent between urban and rural areas. Without access to quality education, millions of young people are trapped in a vicious cycle of economic vulnerability; nationwide, nearly 6 million youth face outright unemployment, while tens of millions more remain trapped in underemployment and informal work, earning well below a living wage. This talent drain threatens to stall the generational progress of Southeast Asia’s largest market.

To address the country’s educational crisis, Teach First Indonesia recruits and develops outstanding young leaders to teach in high-need areas for two years, leading to immediate and long-term impact: Students receive quality education that can help them to break the cycle of poverty and contribute to their communities, while Fellows develop their leadership living and working alongside the communities where they teach. This experience shapes their perspectives and their career journeys, creating a long-term pipeline of exceptional leaders committed to educational equity.

“To truly unlock Indonesia’s future, we must ensure that our economic growth is matched by educational opportunity for every single child,” said Najelaa Shihab, Founder and Board Chair of Teach First Indonesia.

Founded and led by Board Chair Najelaa Shihab and CEO Cara Riantoputra, Teach First Indonesia has placed its inaugural cohort of 29 Fellows in two high-need geographic communities: Serang City in the province of Banten and Klungkung Regency in the province of Bali. Having entered classrooms in July, these founding Fellows are teaching multiple subjects to students in third, fourth, and fifth grades. Their focus is on supporting foundational literacy, numeracy, and life skills while fostering students’ agency, resilience, and growth mindsets. 

We look forward to learning from and sharing more about Teach First Indonesia’s progress in the months and years to come!

Learn more about Teach First Indonesia on their website, Instagram and LinkedIn. 

Founder & Board Chair bio:

Najelaa Shihab is one of Indonesia’s most influential education leaders, widely recognized for her role in shaping innovative and inclusive learning ecosystems across the country. An educator, psychologist, and education reform advocate, she is the founder of numerous impactful organizations and initiatives, most notably Semua Murid Semua Guru, a network of more than 1,100 organizations working together to improve the quality of education across sectors in Indonesia. Some of these organizations include Sekolah Cikal, Sekolah.Mu, Sekolah Murid Merdeka, Pusat Studi Pendidikan dan Kebijakan (PSPK), Guru Belajar Foundation, Keluarga Kita Foundation, and most recently Teach First Indonesia.

Through her work, Najelaa champions a holistic and deeply collaborative approach to education reform, bringing together educators, families, communities, policymakers, civil society, and the private sector to collectively address educational inequity and create meaningful systemic change.

CEO bio:

Cara Riantoputra is an experienced leader with a strong record across business, government, and nonprofits. Most recently, Cara served as Chief of Staff at the Ministry of Education’s digital transformation unit, before founding Teach First Indonesia. She has also worked at the Indonesian President’s Office, helping implement the USD $4 billion Village Fund program across 17,000+ islands, and has volunteered with Wadah Foundation to train microbusinesses in low-income communities.

Also experienced in business and fintech, Cara led country expansion and market launches in Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia at Xendit, one of Southeast Asia’s leading fintech companies, overseeing product, partnerships, and operations to establish new regional entities from the ground up. Earlier, as Chief of Staff to the CEO, she supported Xendit’s fundraising and strategic initiatives that raised over USD 300 million in capital. 

Cara now brings her experience launching and scaling impactful initiatives across sectors to Teach First Indonesia, aiming to build a generation of leaders who transform Indonesia’s education system and expand opportunities for children in every corner of the country.