The Indonesian Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has recently issued a policy to include English as compulsory in the national curriculum at the primary school level. This chapter examines the development of policies on English language education in the country from the colonial time to the present day when the call for multilingual education is resounding. The chapter also discusses challenges faced by primary English education in this era of English as a lingua franca (ELF), including the design of appropriate curriculum and teaching materials/resources, as well as provisions of competent teachers. Despite the challenges, the drive to improve the quality of English language education brings out unprecedented opportunities for teachers and students alike.