Semarang Mayor Expands Free Private School Scheme
Semarang Mayor Agustina Wilujeng has officially expanded the free private school programme for the 2026 academic year. At an aid delivery ceremony and focus group discussion regarding changes to the Mayor’s Regulation (Perwal) on new student admission systems (SPMB) held at Semarang City Hall on Friday, 27 February 2026, the number of partner private schools increased from 129 to 133 schools.
The expansion includes 40 kindergartens, 48 primary schools, and 45 junior secondary schools distributed throughout Semarang. Agustina emphasised that the School Operational Assistance grants (BOS) funded through the municipal budget represent a concrete step by Semarang City Government to ensure equitable education quality through the “Smart Semarang” initiative.
“Last year, this programme benefited 16,340 students with a budget of Rp25.79 billion. This year we are expanding the scope to 133 schools so that private schools can become an excellent and free option for residents,” she stated.
Agustina expressed appreciation to foundations and educational institutions that voluntarily agreed to participate as free schools. She noted that this collaboration greatly assists lower-income communities in securing educational guarantees for their children.
“We want parents to feel assured that government is providing support. Although Semarang’s municipal budget is not yet sufficient to fully subsidise all private schools entirely, this expansion of coverage represents our commitment to remain present. We are also pursuing partial scholarship regulations so assistance can be better targeted directly to students in need,” she explained.
In addition to the aid delivery, the event included a focus group discussion on changes to the 2026 student admission regulation. The mayor stressed that updating regulations annually is crucial for building public trust and closing loopholes for student placement malpractices.
“Semarang’s system is nationally recognised for its transparency. However, we must continually tighten rules to close every possible gap. I can assure you that last year there were no placements outside proper channels because the system is already very solid and accountable. We want the public to trust that the mechanism created by Semarang City Government is truly fair for all children,” she affirmed.
She hopes that through integration of the free school scheme and clean registration procedures, Semarang’s educational ecosystem will continue to improve and support increased human development indices.
“Semarang’s future is sitting in classrooms today. Our task is to ensure education access is wide open and quality is continuously maintained so our children are ready to face future challenges and do not become a lost generation.”