West Java DPRD Firmly Rejects Proposal to Reintroduce School Fees in State Schools

West Java DPRD Deputy Speaker Ono Surono has rejected the proposal to reintroduce Sumbangan Pembinaan Pendidikan (SPP) in state schools. He stated that the state has an obligation to guarantee 12 years of free education, and therefore school financing needs should not be passed on to the public. Ono said the government’s focus should be on ensuring the West Java Provincial Budget (APBD) is capable of meeting all the needs of state schools. These needs include the construction of classrooms, laboratories, sports facilities, places of worship, as well as operational costs and teacher welfare. “The focus is not on collecting SPP from the public, but on how the West Java Provincial Budget can meet all the needs of state schools. Starting from classrooms, laboratories, sports facilities, places of worship, to operational needs and teacher welfare must be the government’s responsibility,” Ono said in Bandung on Friday (17/7/2026). He emphasised that the law mandates a minimum education budget allocation of 20 per cent from both the state budget (APBN) and regional budget (APBD). Consequently, the West Java Provincial Government should prioritise fulfilling the facilities, infrastructure, and operational needs of state schools without reviving the SPP policy. According to Ono, limited educational facilities cannot be used as a reason to impose costs on parents. Such issues should instead be resolved by strengthening the government’s budget commitment to the education sector. Ono also criticised the suggestion that SPP would only be charged to people in desil 6 to desil 10 categories. He argued that this approach does not fully reflect the real economic conditions of the community, as issues with the accuracy of welfare data frequently occur. “It is not certain that people in the desil 6 to desil 10 categories truly have strong economic capabilities. In reality, many underprivileged residents do not receive social assistance or even have their BPJS deactivated due to data validity problems,” he said. In addition to strengthening state schools, Ono urged the regional government to increase support for private schools. He said such assistance is important so that private schools can improve the quality of education services without fully burdening students with costs. He expressed hope that the proposal to reintroduce SPP in state schools would not proceed to become policy. According to him, the more urgent step is to ensure that the education budget can address the needs of schools while guaranteeing the public’s right to a decent education. “I hope the proposal to reintroduce SPP in state schools will not be continued. What is more important is ensuring that the education budget truly resolves all the needs of schools in West Java,” he said.