Commission X Urges Ministry of Education to Make 3T Area Education a National Priority

Member of Commission X of the House of Representatives Habib Syarief Muhammad urges the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) to make education in the Backward, Frontier, and Outermost (3T) regions as a national priority scale.

This demand followed the tragedy of the death of a 10-year-old elementary school student in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) who allegedly committed suicide due to the family's limited economic ability to buy books and stationery.

"This is an event that makes the nation concerned. Programs to meet basic needs such as books and stationery must be prepared systematically," said Habib Syarief, Thursday, February 5.

"The government must have an accurate education map and complete data collection related to the real needs in the 3T area," he continued.

Habib Syarief assessed that the incident was a blurry portrait of Indonesian education as well as proof of the fragile protection of the state against children in remote areas. Therefore, he asked the government not only to provide ordinary services, but also special and emergency handling for the 3T area.

The PKB legislator from the West Java District also explained the complexity of the education problem in the region, ranging from difficult geographical access, structural poverty, to the lack of physical school facilities. He also highlighted that there are still many schools in NTT that are in a very bad condition and even collapsed, but they are still forced to carry out learning activities.

Apart from infrastructure, Habib also reminded of the crisis of educators in the 3T area. According to him, many teachers do not last long because of the heavy challenges of life and the lack of additional incentives.

"Many teachers only last two to three years. There is no special allowance as in other professions. This condition clearly has an impact on the quality and sustainability of our children's education there," he said.

In addition, Habib Syarief appealed to the government to consistently carry out mandatory spending on education of 20 percent of the state budget and regional budget. He assessed that as long as the budget was not allocated consistently, the education policy would continue to be patchwork and not touch the root of the problem in remote areas.

"The inconsistency of the budget makes our education not equal. There must be a joint commitment between the center and the regions so that the basic needs of children to learn are met in all corners of the country. Don't let any more children lose their lives because of stationery problems," he concluded.