Education budget to be 22%

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Jakarta has allocated Rp 3.89 trillion (US$389 million) or 22 percent of its Rp 17.51 trillion budget for next year for education, an increase of 13.69 percent compared to this year's allocation.

The figure exceeds the 20 percent requirement stipulated in the Constitution for both national and regional governments.

Most regional administrations have not met the requirement.

City Council deputy speaker Achmad Heryawan said on Wednesday that the funds would be used to provide free schooling in most state elementary and junior high schools, improve teachers' welfare and renovate and construct schools.

"We plan to provide free schooling for most elementary and junior high school students starting next year. It is in line with the central government's nine-year compulsory education system," he announced.

Concerning free schooling, Deputy Governor Fauzi Bowo said the city would finance all basic needs for education both in elementary and junior high schools.

But he stressed that popular schools would still be allowed to charge student fees.

Head of the city's Basic Education Office Sylviana Murni said recently that payments to cover elementary school operational costs would be raised from the current Rp 27,500 (US$2.75) per student per month to Rp 50,000 per student per month in 2006.

State schools also currently receive Rp 19,500 per student per month from the central government.

Meanwhile, for junior high school students, the city administration will increase its subsidy from Rp 50,000 per student per month to Rp 100,000 per student per month next year, while funds from the central government will be Rp 27,500 per student per month.

There are some 640,000 elementary school students and 250,000 junior high school students in the capital.

As to teachers' welfare, Heryawan said the Council had agreed to the city administration's proposal to increase state schoolteachers' monthly benefits from Rp 1 million this year to Rp 2 million next year.

Heryawan said that the city had also agreed to allocate funds for benefits for Islamic schoolteachers, who are under the Ministry of Religious Affairs, but the amount would only be around Rp 450,000 per month.

The city will also allocate Rp 350 billion for the renovation and construction of new schools next year.

Heryawan said the deliberation of the draft city budget for 2006 was complete and that the final draft would be discussed by leaders of the City Council on Thursday.

"Hopefully, the draft budget will be approved by the Council on Saturday," he added.