Indonesia Aims To Finalise State University Fee Removal In Four Weeks

Indonesia’s government aims to finalise plans within “the next two to four weeks” to remove fees at state universities, as part of a wider push to make public education free across all levels.

Free education plan spans kindergarten to university

President Prabowo Subianto summoned his ministers last week to discuss a plan to “accelerate the implementation of free education in public schools”, according to a statement released by cabinet secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya on September 23.

Wijaya said, “Free education [will be] implemented in public schools, from preschool or kindergarten, elementary school, junior high school, to senior high or vocational school.”

The plan would extend across a large public-school network, with Wijaya saying there are about 164,000 public schools at these levels throughout Indonesia.

The government is also targeting state universities, with plans to eliminate standard semester tuition and initial admission fees.

Funding and learning quality under scrutiny

Analysts have said mounting pressure on the state budget could hinder the government from carrying out the massive undertaking.

Education experts have questioned where the money will come from and have urged the government to focus on improving the quality of learning.

The scale of the proposal is significant because it covers public schools from kindergarten through senior high or vocational school, alongside separate plans affecting state universities.

The cabinet secretary’s September 23 statement places the schools plan and the university-fee proposal within the same government push to accelerate free education in the public system.

Source: South China Morning Post