Heaptalk, Jakarta – In a major move to support the development of Indonesian children, Nestlé DANCOW has launched DANCOW Indonesia Cerdas, the brand’s first large-scale educational competition and entertainment event for elementary school students.
The national-scale competition is designed to boost children’s enthusiasm for learning while also inspiring parents and educators to foster inclusive, interactive, and high-quality learning environments from an early age.
Launched in January 2025, the competition combines both academic and non-academic learning through interactive activities. It involves over 165,000 students from 1,000 elementary schools across 23 cities in Indonesia. The city/district-level selection round officially began in Jakarta on April 13, 2025.
“We believe that proper nutrition is fundamental to creating a brighter and healthier future for children. Our commitment to children’s well-being goes beyond our products. We actively support various initiatives such as Nestlé Dukung Anak Lebih Sehat, which promotes good nutrition,” said Samer Chedid, President Director of PT Nestlé Indonesia.
DANCOW Indonesia Cerdas aligns with the Indonesian Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education’s (Kemdikdasmen RI) vision of “Quality Education for All” and supports the government’s Seven Habits of Great Indonesian Children initiative launched in late 2024.
Nestlé DANCOW has been collaborating with the Ministry since 2023 through the Healthy School Movement, which aims to build a supportive and inclusive learning environment for children.
Minhajul Ngabidin, Director of Elementary Schools at the Ministry, expressed his appreciation, “We welcome the DANCOW Indonesia Cerdas program. It provides an interactive and fun learning experience for elementary students and supports the development of essential soft skills needed for future leaders. This is in line with our vision of providing quality education for everyone.”
Johanlie Aliffin, DANCOW’s Category Marketing Manager, added, “When it comes to nutrition, Nestlé DANCOW is committed to offering nutritious milk products that support children’s growth through a unique combination of DHA and iron. But beyond that, we aim to stimulate meaningful learning through initiatives like DANCOW Indonesia Cerdas.”
Currently, the program is in the district/city-level selection phase, where representatives from 48 schools are competing in a dynamic quiz competition to secure top-three positions.
The regional leg of the competition kicked off in Jakarta on Sunday, April 13, 2025, at GOR Cipulir. It will continue across five additional cities: Bandung (GOR Arcamanik, April 20), Yogyakarta (UPN Auditorium, April 27), Surabaya (UNESA Basketball GOR, May 4), Manado (GOR R.W. Monginsidi, May 10), and Medan (GOR Mini Futsal Disporasu Pancing, May 18).
Top two winners from each region will join the final, which will be broadcast on Indosiar and Vidio.com starting July 5, 2025. The grand finale will showcase 12 top schools and aims to inspire audiences across Indonesia.
In addition to the main competition, each city’s event features various fun activities including local MSME bazaars, interactive play zones, school performances (dance, music, drama, and bands), school exhibitions, and themed photo spots – all free and open to the public.
