Legislator Emphasises Importance of Expanding Free Schools in Jakarta

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Member of Commission E of the DKI Jakarta DPRD, Jhonny Simanjuntak, has emphasised that the free school programme in the capital must be expanded as a solution to ensure all children can access education. He made this statement in response to remarks by Heni Mulyani, Chair of the Early Childhood Education and Equity Working Team at the DKI Jakarta Education Quality Assurance Agency (BPMP), who noted that the number of out-of-school children (ATS) in North Jakarta, based on data from the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen), exceeds 22,000 children. “One way out is for free private schools to become a priority for the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government; not just 103 schools,” Jhonny stressed when contacted in Jakarta on Wednesday. Additionally, he assessed that the issue of out-of-school children is not only related to economic conditions but also to socio-cultural factors. According to Jhonny, many parents still do not consider education important, so this needs attention from the DKI Jakarta Education Office. “Absolutely, the Provincial Government must proactively reach out to the community. The DKI Jakarta Education Office must also conduct outreach to parents that education is important,” Jhonny said. Previously, North Jakarta Mayor Hendra Hidayat had also responded to the ATS issue. He stated that educational challenges in North Jakarta remain significant, particularly the high number of out-of-school children, requiring serious attention and cross-sectoral collaboration. To this end, the North Jakarta City Government is emphasising several strategic steps in addressing the out-of-school children problem, from strengthening cross-sectoral synergy, updating and verifying out-of-school children data accurately, optimising the role of PAUD Mothers and the community, to collaborative and persuasive approaches to get children back to school. “And strengthening collective commitment through concrete and sustainable steps,” Hendra revealed.