House Member: Plan to Reactivate High School Fees a Step Backward

A member of the House of Representatives (DPR) has criticised the discourse on reintroducing Sumbangan Pembinaan Pendidikan (SPP) fees in state senior high schools and vocational schools, calling the idea a step backward. Habib Syarief Muhammad, a member of Commission X overseeing education, highlighted that such a plan is emerging in West Java. Syarief argued that the proposal to reactivate school fees in state institutions signals a regression in the education sector. He stated that the government should be striving to broaden access to education for all citizens, rather than shifting the financial burden back onto the public. “Because education is a basic right of citizens, the state must continue to strive to provide free and quality education,” he said in a statement on Friday, July 17, 2026. He acknowledged the operational funding challenges faced by several state schools in West Java. However, he stressed that the solutions adopted by stakeholders should not impose costs on parents. Furthermore, Syarief noted that families choose to enrol their children in state senior high schools precisely because the costs are lower or even free. He said the reactivation of SPP fees would certainly burden families, especially those with low incomes. The National Awakening Party (PKB) politician urged the West Java Provincial Government to thoroughly review the proposal. This includes optimising all available funding sources, from School Operational Assistance (BOS) funds and regional fiscal support to other financing schemes that do not directly burden the people. In addition, he called on the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to intervene and supervise education funding issues in the regions. He stated that it is the central government’s responsibility to support regions so that education services can continue to operate without burdening the public. Syarief said the central government should have already begun mapping other regions experiencing education funding problems. “Do not let each region adopt its own policies that ultimately lead to an increase in education costs,” Syarief said.