Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education Prepares Measures to Prevent Misuse of Revitalisation Funds

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) is preparing several measures to ensure accountability and prevent the misappropriation of the budget in the School Revitalisation Programme.

Director General of Secondary Education and Special Education (Dikmen Diksus) at Kemendikdasmen, Tatang Muttaqin, stated that his side has a system to ensure that the budget channelled to each educational unit is used appropriately and transparently.

“We have a system for physical checks to ensure it matches the design, detailed engineering, and also the finances. If we check on the ground, it will be easy to see if there’s any funny business,” said Tatang during an event titled Casual Discussion on the Real Impact of School Revitalisation and Strengthening Literacy through Comfortable Library Facilities in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He further explained that the budget channelled to the school’s account and received directly by the principal and treasurer cannot be fully disbursed at once.

The remaining 30 percent of the budget, he continued, can be disbursed if the revitalisation progress has reached 50 percent.

When there is an action to transfer the entire funds from the original account or a full cash withdrawal, he emphasised that the system will issue a warning.

“But if it’s all taken, even transferred to another account, it will be noticeable, and we will start issuing warnings,” said Tatang.

In addition to the system, he stressed that the Inspectorate General (Irjen) of Kemendikdasmen also conducts monitoring.

Therefore, for schools proven to have committed violations or misappropriated the budget, his side will force the relevant school to return the budget.

“This is enforced if you are proven to have violated; it must be returned. So these are some of the things we do, not everything,” said Tatang.