Education Budget Efficiency And The Threat Of Indonesia Gold 2045

JAKARTA The Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (Kemendiksaintek) is one of the ministries affected by budget efficiency. With a cut of around Rp. 14.3 trillion, it is predicted that it will control student tuition fees.

The Ministry of Education and Technology has made efficiency of up to 25 percent of the total ceiling for the 2025 Fiscal Year which amounted to Rp56.6 trillion. This means that there is a budget cut of Rp14.3 trillion which must be done by the ministry led by Satryo Soemantri Brodjonegoro.

A number of scholarship budgets managed by the Ministry of Education and Technology have the potential to be reduced following the government's budget efficiency.

Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology (Mendiktisaintek) Satryo Soemantri Brodjonegoro explained several scholarship budgets that were cut. Among them are scholarships for the Smart Indonesia Card Lecture (KIP-K), Indonesian Education Scholarships (BPI), High Education Affirmation scholarships (Adik), Developing State Cooperation scholarships (KNB), as well as scholarships for lecturers and education personnel.

Even so, in a working meeting with Commission X of the DPR some time ago, Satryo suggested that the Ministry of Finance not touch scholarship funds, because these funds were included in the social assistance budget.

"So, for this component, salary, allowances, scholarships, that's the ceiling that we propose, which is IDR 31.645 trillion," said Satryo.

Satryo also explained that in addition to scholarships, he proposed that there be no reduction in the salary budget and allowances for employees and allowances for non-civil servant lecturers (PNS).

Responding to the budget efficiency policy at the Ministry of Education and Technology, education observer Doni Kusuma emphasized that mandatory budget posts such as State Higher Education Operational Assistance (BOPTN) should not be affected by efficiency.

If budget efficiency has an impact on access to higher education, then the policy can be said to be mistargeted.

"If the budget reduction makes it more difficult to access higher education, this is against President Prabowo's own Asta Cita, especially Asta Cita number four," Doni said, citing Kompas.

Asta Cita is eight missions carried by Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka to realize the vision of the Joint Advanced Indonesia Towards Golden Indonesia 2045.

The eight missions were prepared to advance Indonesia from all sides. Starting from ideological collapse, defense, food, to tolerance between religious communities.

For the fourth Asta Cita, Prabowo initiated the goal of strengthening human resource development (HR), science, technology, education, health, sports achievements, gender equality, as well as strengthening the role of women, youth, and people with disabilities.

Education observer Darmaningtyas also said that the Ministry of Education and Technology's budget efficiency could have an impact on several things. Starting from the possibility that the KIP Lecture scholarship is delayed or cannot be paid, as well as LPDP scholarships that may be delayed.

The demands of ASN lecturers for performance allowances can also not be fulfilled this year. In addition, there is also the potential to eliminate assistance for private universities (PTS).

"Even though PTS is important because 50 percent of students are in PTS. The government needs to continue to provide assistance to PTS," Darmaningtyas told VOI.

Darmaningtyas did not rule out the possibility of an increase in UKT due to the Ministry of Education and Technology's budget efficiency. The issue of the possibility of an increase in UKT was also mentioned by the Minister of Education and Technology, Satryo. However, according to Darmaningtyas, all of this will depend on negotiations between the minister concerned and the president.

The increase in UKT is something that is very worrying about the efficiency of this budget, although Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani ensures that this does not happen.

It is a scary thing because UKT costs in Indonesia have been in the spotlight in recent years because the numbers that always creep up are considered to make access to higher education even more difficult.

Last year, a number of campuses were demomed by their own students because of the high UKT costs. The Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) has even been flooded with criticism for offering online loans or loans for financing expensive UKT.

"It should be that the efficiency is not essential, such as studies, seminars, and so on. For basic matters, such as opening the widest possible access to higher education, it should not be reduced," said Darmaningtyas.

"It depends on how the minister convinces the president. If the thing that is classified is reduced, then the target of channeling superior humans in Indonesia Gold 2045 will not be achieved," he continued.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Alliance of ASN Lecturers of the Ministry of Education and Technology throughout Indonesia (ADAKSI) Anggun Gunawan said that cutting higher education scholarships such as BPI and KIP-K actually showed the uncertainty of the Prabowo government in building educators in Indonesia.

This is inversely proportional to the dream of the Prabowo regime which wants to produce superior human resources through the construction of Garuda High School. For information, Garuda's flagship school development budget also does not escape the efficiency of the Directorate General of Budget (DJA). With a planned budget cut of 60 percent or Rp1.2 trillion, from the previous ceiling of Rp2 trillion.

"The dream of the Prabowo regime produces superior human resources through Garuda High School, which will later be made a lecturer through studying at the world's best campuses," said Gunawan.

"But lecturers who have served and continued studies are (potentially) abandoned. There is an inconsistency in the narrative," added Gunawan.

The efficiency of BPI funds, continued Gunawan, has the potential to make recipients, who only rely on scholarship funds as a cost of living, adrift in overseas. The quota for BPI recipients for the coming years also has the potential to be circumcised or even abolished because the budget is insufficient.

Instead of cutting the scholarship budget, it would be better if efficiency was carried out on ceremonial budgets, official travel, comparative studies, and full-boardalia meeting activity packages held outside universities in full a day and stay.

"The budget that is included in BOPTN and BPPTNBH is quite large, but is not absorbed optimally and is often used for less important activities," he concluded.