West Java DPRD Leadership Rejects Proposal to Reinstate Public School Fees

The Deputy Speaker of the West Java Regional House of Representatives (DPRD), Ono Surono, has rejected a proposal to reactivate the Education Development Contribution (SPP) at state senior high schools (SMA) and vocational high schools (SMK).

According to him, the state is obliged to guarantee free education through the education budget, not by once again imposing fees on the public.

Ono stressed that the constitution and the National Education System Law already mandate the government to allocate at least 20 per cent of the state and regional budgets to the education sector. Therefore, if there are still shortfalls in facilities, infrastructure or school operating costs, they must be resolved through the government budget.

“If state schools still lack facilities, it is the responsibility of the government and the state to provide them, not by reimposing SPP on the public,” Ono said on Friday (17 July), quoted by detikJabar.

He also criticised the proposed SPP reactivation scheme, which would apply only to students from families in deciles 6 to 10, arguing that the welfare data used by the government still leaves many problems unresolved.

He noted that many people who are economically disadvantaged have in fact been classified in higher deciles, and consequently receive no social assistance or have even had their BPJS Kesehatan membership deactivated.

“This means there is no guarantee that households in deciles 6 to 10 genuinely have the economic capacity to pay SPP. The existing data still leaves many problems,” Ono said.

As an alternative, Ono asked the central government and the West Java Provincial Government to optimise the fulfilment of the 20 per cent education budget allocation. He said the funds should be focused on meeting all the needs of state schools.

“The budget must be prioritised for building classrooms, laboratories, sports facilities and places of worship, as well as school operating costs and the welfare of teaching staff,” said the senior PDIP politician in West Java.

Beyond state schools, Ono also urged the government to increase support for private schools through assistance with classroom construction, improvements to educational facilities and the strengthening of learning service quality.

He assured that the West Java DPRD would continue to oversee education budget policy so that it is genuinely focused on meeting the needs of the SMA, SMK and special needs schools (SLB) that fall under the authority of the West Java Provincial Government — from the provision of facilities and infrastructure and school operating costs to meeting the needs of both civil servant and non-permanent teachers.

“Our focus is to ensure that all the needs of state schools in West Java can be met through the regional budget, so that the public’s right to quality, free education is truly realised,” he affirmed.

The idea of reactivating SPP for state SMA and SMK schools in the province emerged during a meeting between the West Java Provincial Government and Commission V of the West Java DPRD earlier this week.

In that meeting, it was stated that if the policy were implemented, it would only target students from families in deciles 6 to 10, while students from poor and vulnerable households in deciles 1 to 5 would remain exempt from fees.

Following the working meeting of the special committee on the draft regional education regulation, the head of the West Java Education Office, Purwanto, stressed that discussion of SPP reactivation was still at an early stage and had not become a decision.

“It is still under discussion. So we shall see how it develops, whether the hopes arising from those talks materialise,” Purwanto told reporters at the West Java DPRD building in Bandung on Tuesday (14 July 2026).

According to him, one of the reasons the proposal emerged is that many state schools require additional budgetary support so that education can be delivered more optimally.

“Yes, because first of all there were aspirations that these schools need sufficient budgetary support,” he said.

The chairman of Commission V of the West Java DPRD, Yomanius Untung, explained that deliberation of the draft regulation stemmed from an agreement that the education system in West Java must be able to deliver quality services.

According to Yomanius, the government’s current financing capacity remains far short of the real operational needs of schools. Of the approximately Rp4.5 million in annual costs per senior high school student, the government can currently cover only about 40 per cent.

He said the situation becomes even more burdensome for schools with fewer classes or students, because operating costs must still be met. For that reason, he said, the idea of reactivating SPP emerged during the special committee deliberations as one source of school revenue to improve the quality of education services.

“Therefore, the idea was raised to reactivate SPP at state schools that have so far been free of charge. For what purpose? To meet the needs of quality learning, which have not been able to be met optimally,” he said.

In contrast to his staff during the meeting with the DPRD, West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi, also known as KDM, instead pushed for optimal management of the School Operational Assistance (BOS) funds before discussing the reactivation of SPP at state SMA/SMK schools.

“We must conduct a thorough review. If the Governor activates SPP, the narrative will change again — that the Governor does not prioritise education,” Dedi said on Wednesday (15 July).

He said he had toured various senior high schools across West Java and found that the quality of school management is determined not merely by the size of the budget, but also by the school’s managerial capacity in utilising BOS funds.

Therefore, Dedi said the government’s main focus at present is ensuring that all schools can manage BOS funds effectively before considering the reintroduction of SPP.

“So at this first stage, I want schools to focus first on managing BOS funds properly,” he affirmed.

Should there still be shortfalls, particularly regarding educational facilities and infrastructure, Dedi assured that the West Java Provincial Government would step in to help through the provincial budget.

“But school operating costs should first be met by BOS — do not open SPP yet. I respect the proposal, but I am also considering the public aspect, you see. Otherwise there will be another polemic,” he said.

It is worth noting that the administration of state SMA/SMK education rests with the provincial government, while education at lower levels falls under district and municipal governments.