Banten Provincial Government Ensures Private Islamic High Schools Can Join Free School Programme This Year

Andra stated that the Banten Provincial Government is beginning to explore cooperation with the regional office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs to accommodate religious-based schools, particularly MA institutions. “We want to ensure that children who choose religious-based education also receive equal opportunities,” Andra told reporters on Tuesday (5/5/2026). According to Andra, the free school programme is a strategic policy. He aims to open access so that children in Banten can receive free education even if they are not accepted into public schools. “The Banten Provincial Government will continue to implement programmes to provide the widest possible access for Banten’s children to obtain their right to education,” he said. Andra will continue to evaluate the policy that began to be implemented in 2025. This step is taken to ensure the policy is on target and provides direct impact for the community in need. “In the first year of implementation, this year we evaluate so that the Free School Programme becomes more effective and its benefits are directly felt,” he stated. Meanwhile, the Head of the Education and Culture Office of Banten Province, Jamaludin, conveyed the implementation of the expansion of the Free School Programme, including for MA, which is targeted to start running in July 2026. “We are coordinating with the Banten Province Regional Office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Insyaallah, the implementation will start in July,” said Jamal. He has not yet disclosed the number of schools participating in the free school programme. The financing scheme for this programme is still in the calculation stage, considering the local budget capacity. “The amount of assistance will be adjusted to the average applicable education costs in schools. The aim of this programme is to ensure that no child in Banten drops out of school due to economic constraints,” he said. In its implementation, schools that become partners in this programme are required to waive fees, such as SPP and other operational costs. The Banten Provincial Government ensures that schools implement the policy according to the provisions. If violations are found, the government will not hesitate to terminate cooperation with the relevant school. “The hope is that all children must attend school. There should be no one not attending school just because of cost issues,” he added.