NTB Draft Regulation Allows Education Donations to Fund Non-Civil Servant Teacher Salaries

The West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) is continuing its discussion of the Draft Regional Regulation (Raperda) on Education Donations. The regulation, being formulated by the Regional Regulation Formation Agency (Bapemperda) together with Commission V of the NTB DPRD, has sparked heated debate regarding the clear boundary between voluntary donations and illegal levy schemes disguised as contributions within schools. Commission V member Didi Sumardi from the Golkar faction explained that a crucial point in the discussion is that the donations could be used to finance incentives or salaries for non-civil servant teachers. He stated that using donation funds for this purpose is fundamentally permissible, provided the funds are directed towards improving the quality of education and serve the best interests of the students. “The main point is that these funds are directed at improving the quality of education and for the greatest benefit of the children. If the correlation leads there, I think it is possible to use them,” Didi said following a hearing at the NTB DPRD office. Despite being allowed, Didi emphasised that schools must meet strict requirements, namely the implementation of full transparency. He noted that the real condition of the school and its budget needs must be openly disclosed by the school and its committee to parents, and formally incorporated into the School Budget Work Plan. Bapemperda Chairman Ali Usman Ahim stressed that the regulation is designed to govern the mechanism for third parties wishing to donate to schools, while simultaneously preventing illegal levies by school administrators on students and parents. “There are several norm improvements in this draft regulation. Technical matters regarding donations in private or Islamic boarding schools emerged in the discussion and will be further discussed by Commission V as the leading sector for this draft,” he added. The Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia for NTB provided specific notes on the plan. Head of Ombudsman RI NTB, Dwi Sudarsono, insisted that the draft regulation must eliminate fundraising practices in NTB schools that are often disguised as donations. He urged that such methods be regulated within the draft being formulated. “We want the fundraising procedure to be strengthened. We hope this draft regulation will ensure that donations are made according to the school’s needs,” Dwi stated during the hearing. He noted that over the past year, the most dominant cases in schools involved donation collections that resembled levies, largely because many schools lack proper guidelines for fundraising. Dwi clarified that based on financial sources outside the state budget and school operational assistance funds, there are three distinct categories: donations, aid, and levies. “It seems we have been too focused on money, leading to resistance from parents. Through this draft regulation, we want to reinforce the mechanisms and procedures so they are not hijacked by levy motives. Levies and donations are clearly different,” he asserted. He explained the fundamental difference is that levies have a clearly defined nominal amount, a set payment schedule, and are compulsory. Donations, which need to be regulated in the new bylaw, should not have a fixed nominal value, must be voluntary, non-compulsory, free from coercion, and target all groups regardless of social status. Dwi explained that the draft regulation will broaden the definition of donations. Schools are expected not only to look at parents’ wallets but also to expand their network to the business world, organisations, and other stakeholders. “The essence of donations is that we do not focus solely on funds but also on goods and services. We want to enrich the concept, not just money,” he said. He gave examples, such as a parent who owns a building materials shop could donate materials for school construction, or a parent with skills as a builder could donate their labour to build school infrastructure. Dwi hopes the donation collection mechanism discussed in the draft regulation will be transparent, requiring schools to prepare a School Revenue and Expenditure Budget Plan and detail it in a school committee proposal. “From there, the funding shortfall not covered by school operational assistance or the regional budget will be visible, and only that shortfall may be raised through donations,” he stressed. The Ombudsman has frequently found cases where students’ rights are violated due to financial administration issues disguised as school donations. He wants the draft regulation to strictly prohibit schools from intimidating or discriminating against students whose families do not donate. “There should be no more stories of students not receiving report cards, being barred from exams, or having their diplomas withheld just because they haven’t paid a donation or even tuition fees. Such things must not happen again as they violate children’s rights,” Dwi insisted. Responding to this input, Commission V member Didi Sumardi assessed that the Ombudsman’s suggestions were very constructive in enriching the legal substance of the draft regulation being discussed. According to the former Mataram City DPRD chairman, the draft regulation was created to accommodate the high aspirations of the community who wish to contribute to advancing the quality of education in NTB.