Education budget to be 22%

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.