West Java Governor Guarantees Free Private Schooling for the Poor After State School Admission Chaos

Bandung (ANTARA) - West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi has reiterated that the provincial government will guarantee free private schooling, albeit on a limited basis, for economically disadvantaged residents following the turmoil surrounding the new student admission system (SPMB) for state senior high schools and vocational schools in West Java. The provincial government is providing financial guarantees for affected residents, particularly those from vulnerable economic clusters, so they can still attend private schools, Dedi said, presenting this as a concrete solution to the limited capacity of state schools. “For those who do not get a place in state schools, there are still private schools. For those whose parents are poor, the West Java Provincial Government guarantees free education for underprivileged children in private schools,” Dedi, as he is familiarly known, stated in Bandung on Friday. Dedi stressed that the anger of parents whose children did not secure places through the new student mapping process for state schools is not the fault of the citizens, but rather a reflection of the government’s failure to provide equitable educational facilities. This statement came after a viral incident in which a parent protested angrily at the West Java Education Office because their child was at risk of being excluded from state school quotas. “Today, if many parents are angry because their children are not mapped to state schools, it is not the parents’ fault, but our fault as state administrators,” Dedi said. According to Dedi, the regional government has not yet been able to accommodate all prospective students within the government-owned education ecosystem. “Because we have not been able to prepare state schools for all citizens, nor state teachers for all citizens. That is our mistake,” he said. Dedi revealed that the fierce competition in the SPMB was worsened by applicants from outside the designated zoning areas also targeting specific schools, resulting in local prospective students being displaced. “Without mapping, children face competition from new applicants and those who did not get into their previous target schools then register elsewhere. As a result, the child’s ranking drops, and parents feel their child is at risk of not being mapped to a state school,” he explained. Regarding the protest at the West Java Education Office, Dedi disclosed that the parent involved initially refused to provide their child’s identity and target school when officials tried to assist. “They said they would withdraw the data, but did not provide it. But that is fine. The government must be willing to accept any emotion from its citizens. The important thing is that we want to provide the best service,” he said. Responding to public pressure to revert to a simpler admission system using final exam scores, Dedi said he agreed in principle. However, he cautioned that such regulations are entirely under the purview of the central government. “Provisions regarding graduation and entry into state schools are all regulated by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education. We merely follow the provisions and align with what the ministry has established,” he stated, adding jokingly about the bureaucracy, “If the authority were given to me, I would make it as easy as possible.”