House Commission X Ensures National Education System Bill Involves Meaningful Public Participation

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The House of Representatives’ (DPR) Commission X Chair, Hetifah Sjaifudian, has confirmed that the drafting of the Bill on the Amendment to Law Number 20 of 2003 concerning the National Education System (RUU Sisdiknas) involves meaningful public participation. “The drafting of the RUU Sisdiknas has been carried out in a participatory manner from the outset, involving various elements of society. Input we have received from various regions and stakeholder groups has been an important part of refining the substance of this bill,” Hetifah said in a statement in Jakarta on Thursday. She explained that the drafting process has been a lengthy one, commencing in January 2025. Over more than a year, Commission X has held numerous meetings, working visits, public discussions, and consultations with relevant ministries and institutions, local governments, academics, professional organisations, education providers, community organisations, and various other stakeholders. An internal meeting of Commission X on Wednesday (8/7) agreed to proceed with the bill’s drafting to the harmonisation stage, marked by the submission of the draft to the House’s Legislation Body (Baleg). According to her, harmonisation at Baleg is a crucial stage in the law-making process, especially as the RUU Sisdiknas integrates various educational regulations that are currently scattered across several laws into a single, more comprehensive and unified regulatory framework. “We have passed a fairly long drafting process. The harmonisation stage at Baleg is an important part of further refining the substance of the bill before it is designated as a DPR initiative proposal,” she said. Despite entering the harmonisation stage, Hetifah stressed that space for public participation remains open. The public can still provide input, criticism, or suggestions for improving the bill’s substance in the subsequent stages. “Public participation does not stop at the draft preparation stage. During the harmonisation process at Baleg and in the subsequent deliberation stages, public input remains very important to ensure the RUU Sisdiknas truly addresses the needs of national education,” she said. After harmonisation is complete, the RUU Sisdiknas will be brought to a DPR plenary meeting to seek approval as a DPR initiative proposal. Subsequently, discussions will be held jointly with the government at the first level of talks, before being brought to the second level, namely a plenary meeting for ratification. The RUU Sisdiknas consists of 16 chapters and 257 articles. Strategic content regulated includes the expansion of compulsory education to 13 years, comprising one year of early childhood education, nine years of basic education, and three years of secondary education, accompanied by the state’s obligation to guarantee funding, teacher availability, and educational facilities and infrastructure. In addition, the bill also regulates strengthening the relevance of higher education to the business and industrial world, recognition of pesantren as part of the national education system, professionalism and welfare of teachers and lecturers, protection of students and educators, integration of the national education data system, and affirmation of a minimum allocation of 20 per cent of the state and regional budgets for education.