DPR Proposes Operational Assistance for Private Universities in Education Bill

The House of Representatives (DPR) Commission X has stated it is continuing efforts to safeguard the operations of private universities (PTS) from the risk of closure due to imbalances in the higher education ecosystem. Deputy Chairman of Commission X Lalu Hadrian Irfani said that in the Draft Law on the National Education System (RUU Sisdiknas), the DPR is proposing provisions for assistance to ensure there is no differential treatment between state universities (PTN) and private universities. “If PTN has BOPTN, we are proposing BOPTS for private universities,” Lalu said when contacted on Saturday, 18 July 2026. He explained that the proposed operational assistance scheme for PTS is intended to anticipate the decline of private universities, particularly smaller ones, from the risk of closure. Regarding the regulations, he explained that the provisions for BOPTS will be further governed by a government regulation. “Whether the scheme is 30 per cent or another figure, we are working to secure it from the overall education budget posture,” said the National Awakening Party (PKB) politician. In the draft of the National Education System Bill dated 8 July 2026, Commission X includes provisions for assistance to private universities, specifically in Article 238 paragraph (1). This article stipulates that the central government must allocate education funding assistance for both state and private universities. On 14 June 2026, the Association of Indonesian Private Universities (Aptisi) presented a number of issues faced by private campuses to officials from the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology. During the forum, Aptisi submitted a study to be considered for the RUU Sisdiknas, including a request for the government to apply the principle of fiscal justice for both state and private universities. The assistance scheme proposed by Aptisi would not provide subsidies directly attached to the institution, but rather based on the status of students from poor families, regardless of whether they attend state or private universities.