DKI Provincial Government Targets Free School Studies In Jakarta To Be Completed At The End Of The Year

JAKARTA - The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government is still reviewing the plan to implement free schools, especially private ones in Jakarta. Acting Head of the DKI Jakarta Education Office Budi Awaluddin targets the study to be completed by the end of 2024.

"We will try (free school studies) at the end of the year," Budi said in a short message, Friday, July 19.

Budi said that studies on the free school mechanism needed to be made comprehensively. Given, if implemented, free school policies require a fairly large budget allocation.

"There may be hope to be implemented in the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government, but we are still taking into account and mitigating in detail the entire policy," said Budi.

It is known that all factions in the DKI Jakarta DPRD are said to agree that free schools can be applied. Secretary of Commission E of the DKI Jakarta DPRD, Jhonny Simanjuntak, also asked the DKI Provincial Government to immediately implement the policy, at least next year.

"This is just how we implement it. Whether in 2025 or 2026. Yes, 2025 can be tried as soon as possible. Because this can no longer be carried out too much," said Jhonny to reporters, Wednesday, July 17.

Jhonny revealed the reason for his party proposing free schools. So far, the DPRD often receives complaints from underprivileged families, ranging from cases of dropping out of school to diplomas held by private schools because they have not paid tuition fees.

"If this happens, it means that the state is ignorant. The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government is also negligent and also does not have a sequence of crisis with the poor," said Jhonny.

From this condition, Jhonny saw that the distribution of educational assistance such as the Jakarta Smart Card (KJP) had not been able to solve the education problem in Jakarta.

Moreover, Jhonny assessed that the DKI Provincial Government was still able to allocate additional budget from the APBD if the KJP funds were diverted to free schools.

"I think with the DKI Jakarta APBD which is more than Rp. 82 trillion, yes, DKI Jakarta I think it can be an example for other provinces, because this is a necessity. With this KJP, it does not solve the problem," he added.