Finance Ministry Official Responds to Parliament on Idle Education Budget

The Ministry of Finance, under the leadership of Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, has responded to findings by House of Representatives (DPR) Commission XI that a significant portion of the annual education budget has never been fully absorbed. Acting Director General of Budget Sudarto did not deny the DPR’s findings. He emphasised that the execution of the education budget, which is mandatory government spending at 20% of state budget (APBN) capacity, will continue to be improved. “Notes regarding the education budget will be our concern for the upcoming financial note proposal,” Sudarto stated during a working meeting with Commission XI in Jakarta on Monday (15/6/2026). The sluggish realisation of education spending was raised by Commission XI member Dolfie Othniel Frederic Palit of the PDI Perjuangan faction. “I want to question the realisation of the education budget; this data shows it has never been achieved. In my view, this is homework that must be resolved by Mr Darto (Director General of Budget),” Dolfie said during a hearing with six director generals of the Ministry of Finance. According to Dolfie, education budget realisation has never met its target since 2021. In 2021, for instance, realisation only reached Rp479.6 trillion, or just 87.2% of the target of Rp550.01 trillion. Similarly, in 2025 only Rp656.62 trillion was achieved, or 90.66% of the Rp724.26 trillion target. “From 2021 to 2025, how much of the education budget was not realised? If used, how many schools could have been built, how many students could have received scholarships,” Dolfie continued. He argued this has violated constitutional rights because the education budget portion never reached 20% of the APBN and its realisation never reached 100% from 2021 to 2025. “Please look at this, this is why the education budget never reaches 20%. The people’s constitutional rights are being seized. Where does the remaining budget go? Is it hidden or what? Please pay attention to this again,” he stressed. Data presented by the Directorate General of Budget shows mandatory education spending from 2021 to 2025 still left a considerable amount of unrealised budget. In 2022, Rp70.41 trillion remained unspent. The figure rose to Rp141.12 trillion in 2022. In 2023, the unspent amount reached Rp110.86 trillion, while in 2024 it was Rp99.61 trillion, and in 2025 the unspent education budget reached Rp67.64 trillion.