VIVAnews - The focus on free education has a 60 year history. It started with the Article 46 of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, which stated that everyone has the right to education, and that education ‘‘shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages’’. Half a century later, the World Education Forum (WEF) reiterated that all states should not only fulfill an obligation to offer free and compulsory education, but also provide one of good quality. However, the translation of the ideal into reality has been far from straightforward. Other countries aside, let us focus on Indonesia.
In July 2005, the Government of Indonesia introduced the Free Basic Education policy (FBE). Under this policy, school fees are to be abolished in primary and junior secondary school. An advanced gesture, the FBE serves to achieve two goals: act as a compensation for the subsequent increase in fuel prices, and support the 9 year mandatory basic education program by relieving the poor from education costs.
At that time, school enrolment rates were still low, and high costs prevented many low-income households from obtaining formal education.
There are two types of costs in education: direct and indirect costs. Direct costs comprise mainly of school fees, a one-time registration fee at the beginning of the school year, and a set of monthly fees. Average monthly spending is about Rp. 20,000 for primary school and Rp. 50,000 for junior secondary school students. The FBE did not mandate that all schools waive off these fees. Instead, it was an option for schools to waive off school fees in return for a ‘block grant’ as compensation for revenue loss. In addition, direct costs also include travelling and school supplies costs. Altogether, these costs pose a significant burden to low-income households. As in other countries, for education to be free, direct costs should be largely be waived off by the government.
However, as it is, Indonesia ranked the lowest among 47 countries (including more “backward” countries such as Uruguay, Kazakhstan and Laos) in its total education spending as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – measuring only at 1.5% of GDP. Although the budget for 2009 has been increased, there is still a loud cry for the involvement of non-profit organizations, international NGOs, individuals and the private sector to lessen the burden of low-income households to achieve ‘education for all’.
The barriers to free education, as gargantuan as they already are, do not stop there. The greater challenge to free education lies in the indirect costs, or the opportunity costs of putting a child into school. Opportunity costs are the forgone wages in the labor market or loss contributions to household activities. For example, the wages a child brings home from working in a factory, or the farm yield from his efforts. For low-income households, this cost is often higher than the costs of school fees and supplies. When the basic survival needs of a household are not met, families need as many pairs of hands possible to make day’s ends’ meet – they do not need brains.
This perception that short-term gains are more important than long-term investment through education of a child must be changed. Although understandable, this perception has created a reality for many low-income households, and worse, a future that is not any better for their children. On this view, the government and other organizations must do more than contribute money and waive off school fees. They must instead, spend time and effort to aggressively propagate a change of mindset among the poorest levels of society, to prevent the perpetuation of a vicious cycle of poverty.
Admittedly, the real solution of lowering opportunity costs to education is in improved economic conditions in the lower-income levels. However, that will take decades to achieve. Furthermore, we cannot expect better economic conditions in this level without first educating its people. There is no way out except through education.
In its 2009 Education for All (EFA) Global Monitoring Report, UNESCO placed Indonesia 71st out of 129 countries surveyed, down from 62nd in 2007 and 58th in 2006. This shows that instead of progressing in enabling education for all, Indonesia has been slipping down the ladder. Because of the existence of high opportunity costs to education in this country, an ‘iron fist’ approach from the top might not necessarily work. Therefore, the challenge for Indonesia is how it will strategize and galvanize effort from all levels of society to approach this issue from a community-based approach.
The change in mindset towards education has to be generated from the top level but transmitted at the grassroot level, with trained change agents including community leaders, principals, village heads, teachers, parents and volunteers.
If not, education in Indonesia will never be free, even if monetarily it is.
* Sapto Handoyo Sakti is Sampoerna Foundation’s Communication Director. He was formerly the Senior Manager of Communications and Outreach at WWF Indonesia. Mr. Sakti holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Communication Management from Massey University, New Zealand.
