Parents Protest as Primary School in Lombok Withholds IDR 200 Million in Student Savings

A video showing parents protesting at SDN 1 Batuyang, Pringgabaya District, East Lombok, has circulated widely on social media. The parents expressed disappointment because the school had not yet disbursed the students’ savings. The total amount of student savings that has not been paid out is estimated to reach IDR 200 million. The parents are urging the school to immediately distribute the money. “My IDR 33 million must be available now, I don’t want to hear any excuses, it must be there now,” said one parent in a video uploaded by the Facebook account Rifki Rayyanza on Saturday (27/6/2026).

Irma, a parent at SDN 1 Batuyang, confirmed the authenticity of the widely circulated video. She explained that the trigger was the school’s failure to distribute the savings. “That’s right, all parents are objecting because the children’s savings have not been distributed,” Irma told detikBali on Sunday (28/6/2026). Irma recounted that the savings were initially supposed to be distributed on Friday. However, the school claimed the money had not yet been collected from the bank. “My child told me, ‘Tomorrow, Friday, we will distribute the savings.’ I then asked in the class WhatsApp group for confirmation, and the teacher replied that the bank had not yet brought the money,” Irma said.

Upon hearing this, Irma contacted the bank directly. She discovered that the school had, in fact, already received the funds. “I happened to have the number of a bank staff member who usually handles the savings collection at the school, so I messaged him. The officer said the money had been collected by the school on Thursday,” Irma explained. Irma expressed her frustration because the school had promised to distribute the savings promptly. However, when parents arrived at the school, the distribution was postponed again. “The school said they were busy preparing report cards and handling new student admissions; there was always an excuse. Last Saturday, we went to the school to collect report cards and usually the savings, but it was postponed again because the money wasn’t there,” she said.

Irma revealed that some students had already received their savings while others had not. She estimated the undistributed amount to be around IDR 200 million. “Grades 1 and 6 have received theirs, but grades 2 through 5 have not. The total amount wasn’t specified, but it is said that up to IDR 200 million was used, maybe more, but the school did not provide a detailed breakdown,” Irma stated. SDN 1 Batuyang has not yet provided an explanation to detikBali regarding the case. However, the school has promised to distribute the savings to parents on 4 July 2026. This commitment is outlined in a written statement signed by the headmaster, the school treasurer, and parent representatives.