Govt seeks 3 percent hike in education spending
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The government proposed on Wednesday that 12 percent of next year's state budget, or Rp 33.7 trillion (US$3.87 billion), be allocated for national education, a 3 percent increase from this year's education budget.
The proposal was made during a hearing between Minister of National Education Bambang Sudibyo and the House of Representatives' Commission X in Jakarta.
Earlier, the Ministry of Finance had suggested that only Rp 26 trillion be allotted for national education in 2006, while Commission X wanted the education budget to reach up to Rp 40.4 trillion next year.
The amended 1945 Constitution requires the government to set aside 20 percent of the state budget, or around Rp 65 trillion, for national education. The government has vowed to achieve the target by 2009.
Commission X for education, culture, tourism and sports affairs, said on Wednesday that they would hold working meetings in the future with seven relevant ministers to decide on the 2006 budget for education.
Bambang told Commission members on Wednesday that the Rp 33.7 trillion fund would not include the budget for the remuneration of teachers and training of staff, which amounted to Rp 4.1 trillion.
They also agreed to extend the current allocation of Rp 17 trillion from the state budget until next year to implement the government's no-cost nine-year compulsory education program.
Sudibyo also said the government plans to hire 80,000 civil servants to support the program and replace teachers who were set to retire.
Further, the 236,000 contractual teachers currently employed across the country would be offered two alternatives.
"First, there are about 100,000 of them that will have their status upgraded to become civil servants, while the status of the remainder will be extended with their salaries raised by Rp 250,000 per month," Bambang said. Currently, they are paid only Rp 400,000 in base salary per month.
The second alternative would be to retain the status of all the contractual teachers but at the same time, the government would raise their salaries to meet or exceed the regional minimum wages.
According to the minister, the first alternative would ease the burden on the education budget rather than the second one, because regency administrations are expected to give support for such a scheme.
Should the second alternative be chosen, he added, the government would have to collect an additional Rp 660 billion required for the scheme.
The House's Commission X during the meeting also urged the minister to reiterate his determination to have all school fees other than the official fees, terminated, if necessary by issuing a presidential decree.
Bambang admitted that the development of national education at present faces numerous problems, such as unequal levels of education, inadequate facilities, a low budget as well as ineffective and unaccountable management practices. (004)