DPD RI absorbs regional education regulation aspirations in Banyumas
Purwokerto (ANTARA) - Member of the DPD RI’s Regional Legislation Affairs Agency (BULD), Muhdi, absorbed various aspirations from education stakeholders in Banyumas Regency regarding the need for regulatory harmonisation, equitable teacher distribution, budget strengthening, and education policies that are more adaptive to local conditions.
In a focused group discussion in Purwokerto, Banyumas Regency, Central Java, on Monday, Muhdi stated that the activity is part of the strategic agenda of the DPD RI’s BULD to ensure the effectiveness of regional regulations as the primary instrument for delivering fair education oriented towards fulfilling citizens’ constitutional rights.
According to him, the results of monitoring and evaluation in various regions show that education issues remain complex, structural, and cross-sectoral, ranging from regulatory disharmony between central and local governments, imbalances in access to education services, to limitations in infrastructure and teaching staff.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Commission IV of the Banyumas Regency DPRD, Dukha Ngabdul Wasih, said that national education policies need to be more adaptive to real conditions in the regions.
He cited the implementation of the zoning system in new student admissions, which he assessed as not fully suited to Banyumas’s geographical conditions, especially in mountainous areas and sub-districts with limited school access.
“If applied in urban areas, it might work, but in regions with uneven educational facilities, the same policy can actually create imbalances,” he said.
The Secretary of the Banyumas Regency Education Office, Wahyu Adhi Fibrianto, said the biggest challenge currently faced by the region is the shortage of teaching staff and uneven teacher distribution.
According to him, Banyumas currently lacks around 1,788 teachers at the kindergarten, primary school, and state junior high school levels.
“There are still schools with many students but limited teachers, while in other schools the number of teachers is relatively sufficient. This poses a challenge in equalising education services,” he said.
A legal expert from Jenderal Soedirman University (Unsoed) in Purwokerto, Prof Hibnu Nugroho, assessed that normatively, education regulations are actually adequate, but technical implementation in the field often causes problems.
“The regulations exist, but technical guidelines sometimes come late, leaving local implementers confused,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Indonesian Teachers’ Union (PGRI) in Banyumas Regency, Sarno, said that the crisis of subject teachers is still occurring in several schools and affects the quality of learning.
He admitted to still receiving many complaints from schools regarding shortages of Indonesian language teachers, guidance counselling, arts and culture, and other subjects.
“We found schools with 24 classes but no Indonesian language teacher. There are also schools where guidance counsellors number only two,” he said.
According to him, this situation forces some teachers to teach subjects outside their competence to meet learning needs.
He also highlighted the increasing administrative burden on teachers, from data management, school administration, to additional tasks outside teaching activities.
He hopes that the results of this public discussion can serve as the basis for formulating education policies that are more responsive to regional needs, strengthening teacher equity, and improving the quality and welfare of educators.