Education budget hike gets thumbs-up

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

An expert and a legislator has welcomed an increase in the education budget, but urged the government to come up with more detailed plans on the development of the country's education sector.

The administration of President Megawati Soekarnoputri allocated Rp 21.5 trillion for education in 2005, a 12 percent increase from 2004's Rp 19.16 trillion.

That amount, however, is far below 20 percent of the state budget as mandated by the Constitution. Megawati announced on Monday the 2005 budget proposal of Rp 361 trillion (US$39 billion).

The President said on Monday the budget would be used to continue the implementation of the compulsory nine-year education program, the higher education program, and efforts to improve the quality of education and teachers.

"The increase is a good signal. The next question is whether the money is sufficient to develop our education," education expert Arief Rachman told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

Separately, House of Representatives education commission chairman Anwar Arifin also welcomed the increase but stressed that it would not be enough to make big changes in the country's education.

Anwar said that he hoped the education budget could be increased gradually so that it could reach 20 percent by 2009.

According to him, the increase in the education budget would be spent to finance the mandatory nine-year education program for school children, aged between six and 15 years old.

The compulsory nine-year education program, introduced in 1997, is aimed at reducing the number of street children and thus curbing crime.

Arief emphasized that the quality of national education could not be achieved solely by a budget increase but also through improvements in the teaching and learning process, the quality of the teachers and facilities at schools.

He urged the government to improve the quality of teachers, by providing for their well-being and upgrading their education, and to improve school facilities to enhance the quality of the learning process.

Citing as an example, he said, that a private senior high school that employed 40 teachers and has 700 students had to spend some Rp 7 billion a year, including a monthly salary for teachers of Rp 4 million each.

"Only with those conditions, can we compete with other countries," he said.