Maung School Must Be Clean from Offerings, West Java DPRD Warns

BANDUNG - Deputy Chairman of the West Java DPRD, Iwan Suryawan, promised to closely monitor two new government programs in the PPDB this year, namely Maung School and free private school subsidies.

Iwan wants to ensure that this government assistance really reaches the hands of poor people and is not hampered by administrative problems of money in the government.

"We will monitor the implementation of this free private school program for the poor, so that the assistance is targeted and does not get stuck due to bureaucratic budget issues," said Iwan Monday, June 1.

Iwan menilai langkah yang diambil Pemerintah Provinsi Jawa Barat sebetulnya sudah bagus untuk mengatasi kekurangan bangku sekolah negeri. Namun, program yang bagus bisa saja gagal di lapangan kalau tidak diawasi dengan ketat oleh DPRD.

One of the programs that is currently the center of attention is the Maung School (Excellent Human School) track. This government-made program focuses on character and discipline education, which is included in several selected state high schools and vocational schools.

According to data from the West Java Education Office, this special lane of Maung School provides a quota of 21,000 seats. This program can be a good choice for children who want to get a strong character education.

However, the 21,000 quota is certainly not enough to accommodate all children. Because there are only 363,067 public school benches, the remaining children who are not accepted are forced to be transferred to private schools that have a capacity of 546,116 benches.

So that parents don't have to worry about the cost, the government has made a free private school program. This program is given specifically for children from families who are unable to be thrown out of the state school zoning track.

Iwan Suryawan fully supports the idea of free private schools, but he gives a stern warning. He asks that the process of disbursing aid money from the government to partner private schools should not be late or complicated.

Because, if the assistance money from the central or regional government is late in coming down, private schools will have difficulty financing their daily operations at the beginning of the school year. "Don't let there be a story that poor children are charged by private schools because the subsidy money from the regional government is late in being disbursed. This is what we must take care of together," said the politician from the PKS.

Iwan added that private schools have a very big role in accommodating children who do not enter the country. Therefore, cooperation between the government and private schools must be based on mutual trust and honesty about finances.

The West Java DPRD will continue to ask the provincial government to ensure that the regional budget for this program is ready and safe.

The distribution of assistance to partner private schools will also be monitored every month by a commission that deals with education.

For Iwan, making private schools free of charge for poor families can reduce the difference in quality between schools. This step is also a real answer to relieve the burden on the parents' wallets of students who are always worried every new school year.

On the other hand, members of the council from the Bogor City electoral district also gave notes about Maung School.

"This new line must run fairly and cleanly, there must be no patronage from important people.

"The Maung School track must also be transparent. Don't let this special track become exclusive and difficult for children who really need it," said Iwan reminding.

In order for this free school program for poor people not to be diverted, Iwan emphasized that the West Java DPRD would open a complaint post. This supervision will be carried out continuously until all new students actually enter the classroom and study calmly.