Reorienting Educational Priorities
Every child is born with the right to learn. This right does not depend on their family’s economic condition, their place of residence, or the type of school they choose. Therefore, every educational policy carries a significance far greater than mere figures in a budget document. Behind every policy are the hopes of parents, the spirit of teachers, and the aspirations of children who wish to change their futures through education.
This spirit was recently conveyed by the West Java Provincial Government. Governor Dedi Mulyadi emphasised that the government’s primary priority is ensuring all children in West Java have the opportunity to attend school without exception. The government also prepared subsidies for students attending private schools. However, public attention soon turned to a statement by a member of the West Java Regional House of Representatives, who revealed that the scholarship budget for underprivileged students in private schools had been removed through a budget shift in February 2026. For families with limited economic means, certainty is often far more valuable than the size of the aid itself.
This incident should not be read merely as a routine budget reallocation. It serves as a reminder that the world of education requires certainty. Families plan their children’s education based on the belief that the state will be present when they need it. When that certainty shifts, anxiety follows. Such a situation warrants collective evaluation so that education policy becomes more robust in guaranteeing the public’s right to learn.
Education is a national investment whose returns are only felt in the long term. Therefore, education policy must be built on consistency, not merely short-term considerations. This view is echoed by UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Report, which stresses the importance of sustainable education financing to prevent vulnerable groups from losing access to education services. This perspective shows that the success of education depends heavily on policy continuity and a commitment to every child’s right to learn.
From this viewpoint, the issue of education does not stop at discussions about budget figures. A more fundamental question is how the state views education itself. If education is treated as a sector that must constantly adjust to the fiscal situation each year, then service certainty will always follow shifting priorities. Consequently, society will repeatedly face uncertainty. Education will be discussed more in terms of cost rather than the formation of quality human beings.
This mindset deserves reflection. Education is not merely a service that produces graduates or statistical figures. It is a process of building character, morality, knowledge, and social responsibility. When this orientation shifts, the focus on quality, equity, and sustainability weakens. In the end, the focus becomes merely on how programmes can operate, rather than on how the rights of the people can be fully met.
Islam views education as an inseparable part of the state’s duty to care for the affairs of the people. Knowledge holds a very high position because it is the path to producing individuals who are pious and capable of building a prosperous life. Allah SWT says, “Allah will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge, by degrees” (QS. Al-Mujadilah: 11). This verse shows that education is not merely an individual need, but a societal one whose continuity must be safeguarded.
This principle is reinforced by the saying of the Prophet Muhammad SAW, “The Imam is a guardian, and he is responsible for his subjects” (HR. Al-Bukhari No. 7138 and Muslim No. 1829). This hadith affirms that a leader bears the mandate to ensure the basic needs of the people are properly fulfilled. In the treasury of Islamic political thought, education is a necessity that cannot be neglected, because from it emerges a generation capable of safeguarding the religion, managing life, and building civilisation.
The book ‘Usus at-Ta’lim fi ad-Daulah al-Khilafah’ explains that the purpose of education is to shape an Islamic personality while equipping every individual with the knowledge and skills needed for life. Therefore, the state is obliged to provide all educational facilities, finance its implementation, prepare competent educators, and ensure all members of society can access education without discrimination. This concept views education as a public service that is the direct responsibility of the state, not merely a programme dependent on policy changes from time to time.
Islamic history demonstrates how this principle was put into practice. During the reign of Caliph Umar bin Khattab, teachers of the Qur’an received financial support from the state so they could teach optimally. This tradition flourished during the Abbasid era with the establishment of Bait al-Hikmah in Baghdad, a state-funded centre of knowledge where various disciplines such as tafsir, hadith, medicine, mathematics, astronomy, and the technology of the time developed.