Govt lambasted for neglecting education

Govt lambasted for neglecting education

Rusman, The Jakarta Post, Samarinda, East Kalimantan

A public policy observer has lashed out at the East Kalimantan
provincial administration for paying little attention to
education.

Sugeng Hariyadi said the administration had allocated only Rp
58.98 billion, or 2.1 percent, of its Rp 2.75 trillion (US$324
million) provincial budget this year toward education, far less
than the minimum 20 percent education budget imposed by the
Constitution.

"Given the very low budget proposed for education, the
administration is apparently neglecting the education sector.

"It is sad, because education is very important to help
improve the quality of human resources in the province," said
Sugeng, a lecturer at the Samarinda State Polytechnic.

He was commenting on a draft provincial budget unveiled by
East Kalimantan governor Suwarna before a recent meeting with the
provincial legislative council.

According to the Constitution, central and regional
governments must earmark a minimum 20 percent of their annual
budgets for education, a policy that is seen as instrumental to
improving the country's human resources.

The East Kalimantan provincial administration must provide at
least Rp 540 billion in order to meet the policy this year.

Kasyful Anwar As'ad, the budget committee coordinator at the
East Kalimantan provincial council, said the councillors
understood the importance of a proper education budget.

Therefore, he said, councillors would demand at the next
meeting that the administration increase the education budget.

According to data from the East Kalimantan provincial
administration, about 54,000 of 2.63 million East Kalimantan
residents -- or 2.72 percent of the provincial population -- are
uneducated.

Meanwhile, 46.35 percent of the population have received
secondary-level education -- whether in part or up until
graduation -- while the remaining 45.87 percent have only
received elementary-level education.

Only 5.6 percent of the provincial population have pursued
their education to the university level.