West Java DPRD Leadership Rejects Proposal to Reinstate Public School Fees

The leadership of the West Java Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) has rejected a proposal to reactivate the Education Development Contribution (SPP) in state senior high schools (SMA) and vocational high schools (SMK). Deputy Speaker Ono Surono stated that the state is obliged to guarantee free education through the education budget, rather than by shifting costs back onto the public. He emphasised that the constitution and the National Education System Law mandate that the government allocate at least 20 per cent of the state and regional budgets to the education sector. Therefore, any shortfall in facilities or operational costs should be resolved through government funding. “If there are still deficiencies in facilities at state schools, it is the responsibility of the government and the state to fulfil them, not to burden the public again with SPP,” Ono said on Friday. He also criticised the proposed scheme to reactivate SPP only for students from families in the sixth to tenth deciles of income. Ono noted that the government’s welfare data still contains many problems, with many economically disadvantaged families incorrectly placed in higher decile groups, causing them to miss out on social assistance or have their BPJS Kesehatan membership deactivated. “This means there is no guarantee that people in deciles six to ten truly have the economic capacity to pay SPP. The existing data still leaves many issues,” he said. As an alternative, Ono urged the central and West Java provincial governments to optimise the fulfilment of the mandatory 20 per cent education budget allocation. He said these funds must be focused on meeting all the needs of state schools, prioritising the construction of classrooms, laboratories, sports facilities, places of worship, operational costs, and teacher welfare. Ono also encouraged the government to increase support for private schools through assistance for building classrooms, improving educational facilities, and strengthening the quality of learning services. He confirmed that the West Java DPRD will continue to oversee the education budget policy to ensure it is focused on meeting the needs of SMA, SMK, and special needs schools under the provincial government’s authority. The proposal to reinstate SPP for state high schools emerged during a meeting between the West Java provincial government and the DPRD’s Commission V earlier in the week. The plan would have targeted only students from families in the sixth to tenth decile income brackets, while exempting those from poor and vulnerable families in the first five deciles. Following the working meeting of the special committee on the education bylaw, Head of the West Java Education Office, Purwanto, stressed that discussions on reactivating SPP were still at an early stage and no decision had been made. He said one reason for the proposal was that many state schools require additional budget support to operate more optimally. Commission V Chair Yomanius Untung explained that the discussion stemmed from an agreement that the education system must deliver quality services, noting that current government funding only covers around 40 per cent of the estimated Rp4.5 million per student per year needed for senior high schools. In contrast to his officials, West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi urged optimising the management of School Operational Assistance (BOS) funds before considering reactivating SPP. He stated that after visiting many high schools, he found that management capability, not just budget size, determines school quality, and that the current focus must be on ensuring schools manage BOS funds effectively first.