Basic education first
Promising free higher education for all is a fiscal fantasy that threatens to bankrupt Indonesia's elementary and secondary school classrooms before the state even honors its basic education mandate.
Indonesia's government is proposing a lofty free tuition plan that could financially cripple the country's education system before it can even fulfill its basic duty of providing compulsory schooling to all. President Prabowo Subianto has called for free education from kindergarten through university for all state institutions, but this is impractical given the nation's financial limitations.
The plan emerged from a recent cabinet meeting to address access and quality in the national education system, but crucial details are still lacking. The administration has not provided a roadmap for implementation or projected costs. Nevertheless, the government aims to roll out the plan across 160,000 public schools and 127 state universities starting next year, which would impose a massive fiscal burden.
The Higher Education, Science and Technology Ministry estimates that waiving tuition for nearly 3 million university students would cost Rp 93.7 trillion (US$5.24 billion) in the upcoming year alone. This expenditure would clash with an already tight 2027 education budget of Rp 820.9 trillion, with a significant portion already allocated for a free nutritious meal program.
Without supplemental funding, this new initiative will drain resources needed for crucial priorities such as fixing school infrastructure, raising teacher pay, and professional development.
The government's timing is also problematic as it has yet to comply with a May 2025 Constitutional Court ruling that ordered it to guarantee free compulsory basic education in both public and private schools, including madrassas. Despite this, authorities have not established a mechanism or allocated budget to fulfill this obligation. Expanding the state's financial commitments to universities while neglecting to address existing legal requirements for basic education is a grave mistake.
Adding to the issue is how the broader education budget has been stretched to fund noneducational programs. The Jakarta Post invites readers to share their experiences, suggestions, and any issues they've encountered with this new educational initiative.
Written by urgent.news from The Jakarta Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
