West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi Calls for In-Depth Study on Reactivating Senior High School Tuition Fees

West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi has given a serious response to the proposal to reinstate the Sumbangan Pembinaan Pendidikan (SPP), or education contribution fee, for students at state senior high schools (SMA) and vocational schools (SMK) in his region. He affirmed that the plan, which targets pupils from upper-middle-income families, must undergo an in-depth study and must not be decided in haste.

Dedi made the remarks while attending the National Seminar and Declaration of Indonesian Health Sovereignty 2045 in Bandung on Wednesday (15 July). On that occasion, he also clarified that the proposal to reintroduce the SPP did not come from him as regional head.

“We must conduct an in-depth study. Later, if the governor activates the SPP, public opinion will shift again, and people will say the governor does not prioritise education,” said Dedi.

Rather than immediately imposing the SPP, Dedi Mulyadi emphasised that the first step schools must take is to maximise the management of the School Operational Assistance (BOS) funds. According to him, the effectiveness of using the existing budget is the key before passing costs on to parents.

He shared the findings of his field visits to several schools to compare the quality of budget management. One positive example was SMAN 1 Depok.

“This school uses BOS funds; some are messy, some are well organised like SMAN 1 Depok. I asked the principal, and it turns out the key is good management. So the first step now is that I want schools to focus on managing BOS funds properly first,” Dedi explained.

Regarding complaints about inadequate physical facilities at schools, such as broken toilets, substandard classrooms, the absence of air conditioning, and the need for fence repairs, Dedi assured that the West Java Provincial Government would continue to provide support.

However, he drew a clear distinction between physical investment needs and daily operational costs: “I respect the proposal, but I also have to consider the public aspect. Do not open the SPP yet. School operations must first be covered by BOS,” he asserted.

In line with the Governor, Head of the West Java Education Office Purwanto stated that there has been no final decision on reinstating the SPP. He confirmed the policy would not be imposed abruptly during the current new academic year.

“It is still under discussion. We will see what expectations emerge from those talks,” said Purwanto.

The proposal to reinstate the SPP initially emerged as a solution to close the funding gap for upper secondary education. However, following the Governor’s latest direction, the focus has shifted to an internal audit of BOS fund management at every state education unit in West Java.