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View all search resultsPrabowo’s universal free education plan raises feasibility questions
Finance Minister Suahasil Nazara said there would be no additional allocation for free state schools, with the government instead reviewing how the existing education budget is distributed among the central and regional governments, ministries and agencies.
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Students attend a class on Sept. 23 beside a collapsed wall at SDN 3 Sukajadi
elementary school in Sukakarya, Bekasi regency, West Java. According to the
school, three classrooms have been damaged for the past three years because of
the aging building, disrupting lessons and posing safety risks to students. (Antara/Darryl Ramadhan)
P
resident Prabowo Subianto plans to make education free at more than 160,000 state schools of all levels and waive tuition fees at all state universities, raising questions over how the government will finance and implement the sweeping policy.
Prabowo has recently reiterated his intention to make education free, but the commitment took a further step after he met with education and religious affairs ministers and the coordinating human development minister earlier this week.
“It was the president’s directive to provide free education services for students at state schools, as part of his commitment that all Indonesian children have the right to quality education,” Elementary and Secondary Education Minister Abdul Mu’ti said after the Tuesday’s meeting.
The plan would cover state kindergarten, elementary, junior high and high schools, as well as state Islamic schools and universities.
For schools, Mu’ti said the funding would be channeled through existing programs, including the Smart Indonesia Program (PIP), which provides financial assistance to low income students, and the School Operational Assistance (BOS) fund, which helps cover schools’ operational costs.
Read also: Eyes on education bill as free meals may seek funding lifeline
Indonesia has 162,934 state schools with about 31.8 million students, according to the latest data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS). State schools generally do not charge tuition fees, but students may still pay for uniforms, books, extracurricular activities and other expenses.
