MAN 2 Bantul Committee Continues Educational Development Contributions Despite Viral Controversy

The committee of Madrasah Aliyah Negeri (MAN) 2 Bantul is continuing to collect contributions from parents to support the development of the madrasah, despite the issue going viral on social media. The reason provided is that the contributions are voluntary and were agreed upon during a meeting.

“It is continuing because it is based on everyone’s capability, right? During the meeting, they expressed their readiness and were permitted to fill out the forms. So, we are waiting for their returns,” said the Chairman of the MAN 2 Bantul Committee, Atmaturida, to reporters at MAN 2 Bantul on Thursday afternoon (1/10/2026).

Atmaturida stated that currently, 193 out of 585 parents have returned forms containing a statement of willingness to support madrasah development. He noted that parents are not obligated to commit to a specific amount, even though figures as high as Rp 4 million were mentioned.

“They have their own capacities; during the meeting, everyone was willing, but the submission of the forms is not happening all at once, and it is voluntary,” he said.

Atmaturida hopes that all parents will adhere to the mutual agreement, as they have entrusted their children to MAN 2 Bantul and wish to progress together in improving educational quality. This is particularly important as not all programmes receive funding from the government.

“Therefore, the role of parents and the community is vital. It is expected that they will sincerely prioritise their children’s academic development so that they may become more useful individuals in the future,” he added.

The official stated that educational programmes and student enhancement initiatives must not stop, as these are essential preparations for students entering university or the workforce.

“With the available funds, we will continue to move forward because our goal is to advance the children, ensuring they gain the skills and expertise needed for university or employment after graduation,” he said.

It was previously reported that posts alleging the collection of educational fees amounting to millions of rupiah at MAN 2 Bantul had circulated widely on social media. The school committee clarified that these are mutual agreements intended to improve educational quality where government funding is unavailable.

Allegations regarding the collection of fees at MAN 2 Bantul gained attention after a parent claimed to have received a letter regarding ‘support for madrasah development readiness’. In the document, parents were asked to declare their willingness to provide educational donations.

“The letter uses terms such as ‘voluntary, sincere, and without coercion’, yet the nominal section includes space to fill in the amount and payment details. According to the complainant, the amount discussed in the committee meeting reached Rp 4.2 million, and parents were given letters allowing for payments to be made in three instalments. ‘It is voluntary but fixed in amount. We were given a written agreement, so while the language says it is not mandatory, the existence of the letter creates a sense of pressure,’ the parent told the reporter,” the Instagram account @moodpendidikan.co reported.

Atmatur_ida, Chairman of the MAN 2 Bantul Committee, explained that he initially received a draft of the MAN 2 Bantul activity programme aimed at improving learning quality. He noted that several activities do not receive government subsidies.

“The head of the madrasah informed the committee about the activities not covered by the government budget, so it could be communicated to the parents,” he told reporters.

Subsequently, the committee invited parents to discuss the matter in August 2026. During this discussion, the committee proposed ways to enhance the quality of education for MAN 2 Bantul students.

“We presented the programmes submitted by the madrasah to the committee, and they agreed. Once the programme was agreed upon, we provided blank forms for them to fill out,” he said.

Regarding the Rp 4.2 million figure, this represents the planned use of committee funds. If every parent agrees to that amount, all programmes can run smoothly.

“However, since this is a deliberation, we follow the principle of togetherness. Parents have different levels of capability and income. Therefore, we provided blank forms so they could fill in an amount based on their individual capacity and willingness,” he explained.

Atmaturida emphasised that there is no coercion for parents to pay Rp 4.2 million. He presented several forms of statements of willingness to support the development of the madrasah.

“As you can see, some entries are for one million, two million, up to three million rupiah. Those funds are handed over to the madrasah to be managed for improving educational quality, ensuring that extra programmes such as tutoring, courses, and skills training—which are not funded by the state—can proceed effectively,” he concluded.