Highlighting Rp50 Thousand SMAN 4 Medan Contribution, Puan Maharani: Schools Must Be Free Of Extortion

Chairman of the House of Representatives and Chairperson of the PDIP DPP Puan Maharani (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Chairman of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, highlighted the case of alleged illegal levies (extortion) at SMA Negeri 4 Medan, where students were asked to pay a due of IDR 50,000 for the pension fee of five teachers.

Puan reminded that the education system in Indonesia must run in transparency and be free from extortion. Schools must be oriented towards improving the quality of learning, not money-oriented.

"Our children must get educational services that are free from improper burdens. We want to build a generation that is intelligent, has character, and ready to face the future without having to be burdened by practices that damage the education system itself," said Puan Maharani, Thursday, March 27.

It is known, from a video that went viral on social media, it was stated that one student was assigned to collect fees from other students. The student was instructed by one teacher. It is estimated that each teacher who will retire will receive Rp. 10 million from the distribution of extortion money.

Puan reminded that quality education can only be realized if stakeholders such as the government, school, and society are committed to maintaining integrity and professionalism in education governance.

According to the PDIP legislator from the Central Java electoral district, the alleged extortion incident at SMAN 4 Medan shows that there are still fundamental problems in education governance that must be addressed immediately.

"We must ensure that our world of education has integrity. The practice of unofficial fundraising, even though it is claimed to be a tradition, cannot be justified," said Puan.

"Education must uphold transparency and accountability. Don't money-oriented which ultimately destroys the noble values of education," he continued.

Puan said unofficial levies at schools were not just a minor problem, but could have a broad impact on the quality of education as a whole.

"In the end, it affects public trust in the world of education, and creates potential for education discrimination, to normalizing extortion practices that are not in accordance with the rules," he said.

Therefore, Puan asked the Government to increase supervision of all forms of fundraising in schools. He encourages transparency in the education budget to be increased, including strengthening the role of school committees to enforcement of regulations and sanctions for violators.

"The government needs to enforce clear rules regarding levies at schools and impose strict sanctions on those who are proven to have violated the provisions," said Puan.

"And the school committee must also be able to stand independent and with integrity. Do not participate let alone facilitate all forms of things related to illegal levies, whatever the reason," continued the former Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture.

Puan also asked local governments, both at the provincial and district/city levels, to be more active in ensuring that schools in their regions do not practice illegal levies. According to him, this is not just a problem in one school, but a reflection of how education is managed at the regional level.

"Do not let any more students be financially burdened by negligence in supervision. Local governments must immediately intervene and evaluate education policies in their respective regions," said Puan.

Puan added that the problem of school extortion has become a common story that often occurs in various regions. Therefore, Puan asked that supervision be carried out in layers.

Regional heads also need to continue to evaluate through related agencies. Because extortion in this school occurs everywhere and is very disturbing to the community," he said.

"Stricter supervision, including by opening a complaint route for the public, is an important step to prevent similar cases from happening in the future," concluded Puan.