Depok Government Denies Complaints About Free School Funding Every Six Months

The Depok City Education Office has denied complaints from school administrators regarding the funding mechanism for the Free Private School Initiative (RSSG) programme, which is paid every six months. “It will be paid in the third or fourth month for six months,” said the Head of the Junior Secondary School Development Division of the Depok Education Office, Muhammad Yusuf, when confirmed on Thursday evening, 19 March 2026. Previously, complaints from private schools about free school costs were raised by Ubaidillah, a politician from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS). He criticised the mechanism for paying operational costs for free schools, which is channelled by the Education Office every six months. The Depok DPRD member also claimed to have received complaints from private school administrators whose cash flow is minimal, making it difficult to fund monthly operations. To cover it, said Ubaidillah, they even have to take out loans. According to Yusuf, what the PKS politician stated does not match the government’s disbursements to schools. “In fact, it is not disbursed after six months,” he said. Yusuf explained that in the first wave of RSSG in Depok, the government partnered with 47 schools, both private junior secondary schools (SMP) and private Madrasah Tsanawiyah (MTs). “The total number of registered students is 2,472,” he said. “Registrations for the new academic year for grade 7 will open soon.”