DKI DPRD: Free Private Schools Key to Preventing School Dropouts

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy Chairman of the DKI Jakarta DPRD, Basri Baco, considers the policy of 103 free private schools initiated by the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government as the key to preventing children from dropping out of school and addressing issues such as diplomas being withheld due to education fee arrears. “If we want to achieve that, there must be no more children dropping out of school, not attending school because their parents cannot pay, and no more diplomas being withheld,” said Basri Baco in his statement in Jakarta on Thursday. Baco, when opening a public discussion on education at the Golkar Party DPD Headquarters in Jakarta, Cikini, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday (13/5), stated that education has a direct relationship with the level of societal welfare. According to him, his experience serving in Commission E of the DKI Jakarta DPRD for the 2019-2024 period has given him a deeper understanding of education issues. “The concept in Commission E is that education is the primary factor determining welfare. That means education is directly proportional to a person’s level of welfare,” he said. He assessed that improving the quality of education must be the top priority in Jakarta’s development, especially amid ambitions to make Jakarta a global city. “Today, Jakarta wants to become a global city. One of the factors is that the education level must be high,” he said. Nevertheless, Baco noted that there are still several fundamental problems in Jakarta’s education sector, such as children stopping school due to economic issues to diplomas that cannot be collected because of fee arrears. Therefore, he considers the free private school policy as a solution to expand access to education for the community. “I say, the solution is only one: free private schools. There is no other solution,” he said. He also reaffirmed Golkar Party’s support for government policies, including in the education sector. “If there is criticism, it is certainly for improvement,” said Baco.