Free primary education set for July

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Starting this upcoming semester in July, elementary and junior high students, particularly those from poor families, are expected to enjoy free education as mandated by the Constitution.

"We will begin providing free education beginning this upcoming school year," Minister of National Education Bambang Sudibyo said on Tuesday, adding, however, that the term "free" would not mean that it would be totally without payment.

"Free" education will be given through block grants disbursed to all public, private and religious elementary schools and junior high schools across Indonesia.

For this year, the funding would partly come from the Rp 4.13 trillion saved from the recent fuel price hikes, as agreed to by the House of Representatives and the Ministry of National Education during a meeting on Monday.

Despite the fact that the grants will be disbursed to all schools, Bambang said it would benefit poor students the most, since the funds would also cover other school expenses, such as books and enrollment fees when they move on from elementary school to junior high school. The government has made the first nine years education mandatory for all school-aged children.

"Schools will no longer be allowed to demand any kind of fees from poor students," he stressed.

"They will be given grants, the amount of which will depend on the number of students in each school, not only poor students, multiplied by the cost per student," he said.

The minister said the plan still needed the approval of the House budgetary commission.

According to the 2003 National Demographic Survey, elementary school students would need a subsidy of Rp 248,000 each annually and Rp 371,000 for each junior high school student.

"Free" education for the students who are capable of paying fees would be given by limiting the kinds of fees schools will be allowed to charge. "We will decide what kinds of fees a school can collect from the non-poor," he said.

With the number of elementary and junior high school students currently totaling around 39 million, Bambang said, "If we want to have free education, we will have to set aside Rp 11 trillion in next year's budget as a consequence.

"But because this is already mid-year, we would need only half of the total amount, or only Rp 5.6 trillion. That could be covered by this year's fuel subsidy cut and from the ministry's budget."

Previously, the Ministry of National Education had proposed that free education be given in the form of block grants to schools.

Under the proposal, elementary schools would receive Rp 43 million and junior high schools Rp 185 million per year, Bambang said.

Data from Bambang's office shows that as of 2003 Indonesia had 146,052 elementary schools and 20,918 junior high schools.

The House and the education ministry have agreed on the block grant disbursement mechanism and the total budget allocation for the program, but will still discuss further details.

Several education experts have welcomed the plan as an initial step to providing free education.

"This initial step must be followed by strict supervision, so that schools will not impose more fees on their students," Paramadina University's Institute for Educational Reform director Hutomo Dananjaya said on Tuesday.

He said the government should either make sure that all schools, including those considered financially sound, were given the grants, or that it should be selective and give the grants only to schools that really need them.

A similar response came from educational expert Arief Rachman, who said that it was natural that things that were said to be compulsory must be fully funded by the government.

It is "about time the government did so", he added. (003)