Free for Students, Burdensome for Schools

“If school is already free, shouldn’t everyone be happy?” That question crossed my mind when I read the news about the Free School Programme in Banten. As a mother, I am certainly happy whenever there is a policy that eases the burden on parents. Amidst the ever-rising cost of living, free education sounds like a breath of fresh air for many families.

However, that happiness turned into a question mark when I read that a number of private schools had actually chosen to withdraw from the programme.

Isn’t the aim of this programme good? Why would some schools choose to leave?

It turns out the issue is not as simple as accepting or rejecting a policy.

At least seven private schools in Banten have withdrawn from the Free School Programme because the subsidy amount provided by the government is deemed insufficient to cover the schools’ operational needs. Meanwhile, the Banten Provincial Government has stressed that many other private schools are actually benefiting from this programme, citing an increase in student numbers and certainty of education fee payments.

I see these two facts as not contradictory. Rather, they both show that a good policy is not necessarily able to answer all the problems on the ground.

So far, discussions about free schooling have often centred on students and parents. Yet there is another party that bears a great responsibility, namely the school itself. A school does not merely provide a learning space. There are teachers who must be given a decent income, education staff who work every day, electricity that must stay on, laboratories that need maintenance, libraries that require updating, and buildings that occasionally need repairs.

Waiving tuition fees can indeed reduce the burden on parents. However, if the replacement funds received by the school are not yet sufficient to cover all these needs, the school finds itself in a difficult position. On one hand, they want to support the government programme so that more children can get an education. On the other hand, they must ensure that the quality of education does not decline due to financial constraints.

This is where I see a more fundamental problem.

Education is often understood merely as a service that the public should be able to access cheaply. Yet education is not just a public service; it is a nation’s greatest investment. If this investment is managed with overly narrow calculations, what emerges is not only a budget problem but also concerns about the declining quality of education itself.

Teachers whose welfare is neglected will find it difficult to concentrate on teaching. Schools short of funds will postpone facility improvements. Ultimately, those most disadvantaged are not the government or the schools, but the children being prepared to become the next generation.

Therefore, in my view, this problem cannot be solved simply by increasing or decreasing the nominal amount of aid. What needs to be reviewed is the way the state views education itself.

In Islam, education is not a commodity dependent on an institution’s ability to generate income. Education is a basic need of society as well as an obligation that the state must fulfil. Its purpose is not only to produce a workforce ready to enter the industrial world, but to shape human beings who are knowledgeable, moral, and capable of bearing the trust as stewards on earth.

Allah SWT says,

“…Allah will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge, by degrees.” (QS. Al-Mujadilah: 11).

This verse shows how high the status of knowledge is in Islam. Therefore, all means that support the birth of a knowledgeable generation should be a primary concern of the state.

In the Islamic education system, the state is responsible for providing adequate education funding, both for institutions directly managed by the state and for institutions that provide education in accordance with state regulations. The quality of teachers, learning facilities, curriculum, and supporting infrastructure must not be differentiated merely because of the status of the manager. All children have the right to the best education, wherever they study.

I imagine how peaceful parents would be if they were no longer haunted by school fees. I also imagine how focused teachers would be if they no longer had to worry about late salaries or limited teaching facilities. When the state truly makes education a priority, what is born is not just free schools, but quality schools.

In the end, the measure of success for an education policy is not merely how many students no longer pay tuition fees. What is far more important is whether schools can continue to stand with good quality, teachers can teach calmly, and children receive the best education for their future.

Because building a generation is not enough by making schools free. What is far more important is ensuring that education itself does not lose its quality.