Jakarta Provincial Government Considers Expanding Free Private Schools Programme to Madrasahs
The Jakarta Education Office has responded to proposals to include madrasahs in the provincial government’s ongoing free private schools programme. The suggestion emerged during a plenary session of the Jakarta Regional People’s Representative Council.
Head of the Jakarta Education Office, Nahdiana, stated that the programme is currently focused on educational units under the Education Office’s authority. However, she did not rule out expanding the policy to private madrasahs.
“At present, the focus is on educational units under the Education Office, but Governor Pramono emphasises the principle of fairness for all, including private madrasahs. We will study this expansion as long as it meets regulations and coordination with the Ministry of Religious Affairs, depending on the available fiscal space,” Nahdiana said when contacted on Monday, 4 May 2026.
Previously, Chairman of Commission E of the Jakarta Regional People’s Representative Council, Muhammad Subki, during the Regional People’s Representative Council plenary session on Thursday, proposed that the free education policy should not be limited to schools under the Education Office but also extend to madrasahs under the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
“I propose to the governor and his team that free schools be followed by free private madrasahs,” Subki said, quoted from Antara.
He praised the free private schools policy, which has targeted 103 schools for the 2026/2027 academic year. However, according to him, the regional government still needs to expand the programme’s reach, especially to private madrasahs that have not yet been included in the scheme.
Subki emphasised that madrasah students are Jakarta residents who also contribute through taxes, so education policies should not be discriminatory. The Jakarta Provincial Government has previously implemented the free private schools programme gradually, considering regulatory aspects, cross-ministerial coordination, and the region’s fiscal capacity.
The Jakarta Provincial Government is running a free schools programme in private schools. This policy is outlined in Jakarta Governor’s Decree Number 312 of 2025, which designates 103 private schools as recipients with a total budget of Rp 253.6 billion.
Forty schools are continuing recipients with funding from January to December 2026. Meanwhile, 63 other schools are new recipients with funding from July to December 2026. The programme covers levels from primary school to special education schools and is spread across five administrative city areas.