National Education Day is a Spirit of Equal Education

The misuse of educational assistance is ironic because it betrays the spirit of equal distribution of human resource quality in Indonesia.

KOMPAS/WILIBRORDUS MEGANDIKA WICAKSONO

Hundreds of students from Jenderal Soedirman University staged a demonstration at the Rectorate Building of Unsoed in Purwokerto, Banyumas, Central Java on Monday (29/4/2024). Several doors and glass walls were shattered. They demanded the revocation of the regulation on the 2024 single tuition fee.

National Education Day is a momentum to evaluate various government education programs. One thing that needs to be studied more deeply is the education program at the higher education level. The rampant misuse of educational assistance is ironic because it betrays the spirit of equalizing the quality of human resources, which still lack university graduates.

Ahead of the commemoration of National Education Day, the public is being shocked by the alleged misuse of the Indonesian Smart Card for Tuition (KIPK) which is coloring the virtual world. The excitement started when the names of students suspected of misusing the funds were revealed on social media. Ironically, a number of cases encountered came from students at state universities.

It is called abuse because the students involved are deemed unworthy of receiving KIPK (Indonesia Smart Card for Poor Families) due to the lack of financial issues. From their social media posts, they appear to have a luxurious lifestyle and have even been recorded going on vacations abroad. Many members of the public have criticized the case. To this day, the university is investigating the truth and processing its follow-up actions. One of the suspects has already resigned from the KIPK program.

The protests and disappointments of the public are not unfounded because the KIPK program does indeed have specific and targeted goals. Referring to the Minister of Education and Culture Regulation No. 10 of 2020, the priority targets of KIPK are students from poor or vulnerable families. Other priorities include students from the 3T region, indigenous Papuans in accordance with the Special Autonomy Law, and migrant workers located on the border of the Indonesian state.

Also read: High Tuition Fees, Application for Scholarships for Disabled Students Increases

Therefore, the distribution of the KIPK must be returned to those who are entitled to receive it. In Permendikbud Article 6, it is stated clearly that cancellation can be made if the recipient no longer meets the priority target conditions. This is to restore the initial spirit upheld by the program.

In general, KIPK is one of the educational aid schemes that is part of the Indonesia Pintar (PIP) Program. Its main goal is to provide quality and equal education in order to produce excellent Indonesian human resources (SDM). KIPK is also part of the Merdeka Belajar, which is currently the focus of the education world in the homeland.

Under the prevailing regulations, KIPK not only provides financial support for tuition fees but also living expenses for its recipients. The tuition fees are adjusted according to the study program and the accreditation of the relevant university. Meanwhile, living expenses are determined at a range of Rp 800,000 to Rp 1.4 million, adjusted to the price index of each respective region. This living allowance is given to support the academic process of KIPK recipients so that they can complete their education without struggling to meet their daily needs.

Lack of higher education

On the other hand, the phenomenon that has been happening lately serves as a reminder of the importance of evaluation and transparency of every government program. In the case of KIPK, all stakeholders involved are expected to be meticulous and selective so that the beneficiaries of the program are those who truly need it. Thus, those who are financially limited but have the desire to pursue higher education can be facilitated, resulting in an expanding population of highly educated individuals in the country.

Until now, amidst all the existing progress, the population in Indonesia is still dominated by low education. Referring to the BPS data in 2022, one third of the entire Indonesian population aged above five has a maximum education level of junior high school. Even five percent of the population in Indonesia have never attended school at all.

Also read: Single Tuition Fee: Conflict over Higher Education Funding

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

Workers are making bricks from a mixture of sand and cement in Urutsewu Village, Ampel, Boyolali, Central Java, on Saturday (15/12/2018). The informal sector workforce is still relatively dominated by low-educated workers, so their quality still needs to be improved, among others, through vocational education.

Meanwhile, the number of graduates from Indonesian universities only reached 7.57 percent in the same period. Compared to Malaysia, Indonesia's achievement is far behind. According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia, in 2012 the percentage of Malaysians who received education in higher education institutions was already around 25 percent, a quarter of the total population. The latest data from 2022 shows that this has increased and reached 35.64 percent.

This lagging effect has also had an impact on Indonesia's low achievement in the Human Development Index (HDI) compared to other countries. By 2023, Indonesia's HDI is still at around 0.71, while neighboring countries Malaysia and Thailand have reached levels of 0.80. The Ministry of Finance notes that out of the 191 countries surveyed for HDI, Indonesia ranks 114th in 2021, then slightly improves to 112th in 2023. Indonesia's Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) score is also below the OECD and ASEAN-5 averages.

Education budget allows

In an increasingly modern and complex era, various special skills are increasingly needed. Indonesia is currently pursuing the target of a Golden Indonesia in 2045 which requires the support of quality human resources. In order to increase competitiveness and big aspirations, primary to secondary education alone is no longer enough. Providing superior human resources from college graduates is increasingly becoming a crucial need.

This is the time for Indonesia to come out of its education lag. Various programs that have been initiated by the government, if implemented properly, can undoubtedly materialize all those noble hopes and aspirations. Moreover, the government has made efforts to carry out the mandate of the law that states that education funds should be at least 20 percent of the state budget.

Observing its trend, the government-prepared education budget is increasingly increasing from year to year. In total, the education budget allocation prepared by the government this year is Rp 660.8 trillion or an increase of 19.7 percent compared to the previous year. Regarding higher education and education assistance in the KIPK scheme, the prepared budget is also quite high and continues to experience an increase.

Also read: Minimum Higher Education Budget, Access to College in Indonesia Still Difficult

This year, the KIPK budget is Rp 13.9 trillion, which targets 985,577 students throughout the archipelago, including around 200,000 new students. Compared to last year, the budget has increased by 17.8 percent with an additional target of around 72,000 students. If realized as planned, the hope to produce one university graduate for every 10 Indonesian citizens is not an impossible goal.

Unfortunately, information transparency regarding the realization of the number of beneficiaries from the program has not yet been found. Based on the publication from the Education Financing Service Center, Ministry of Education and Culture, the recipient of KIPK 2023 was recorded as 161,953 new students. The total number of KIPK recipients in that year is not recorded. However, the total target of recipients set is more than 913,000 students. If everything is realized according to plan, it will certainly be sweet fruit for the world of education in Indonesia. However, if not, the program should be questioned and evaluated.

On the occasion of National Education Day, the latest case targeting the highest level of education deserves joint attention. The theme "Moving Together, Continuing the Freedom to Learn" serves as the inspiration to drive all programs that have been outlined in line with its original purpose.

The involvement of all parties as motivators to move together hopefully will not just be a slogan. This includes the government as the designer and implementer of programs, universities as selectors, and students as beneficiaries.

In fact, the general public can also play a role. One of them is by actively reporting similar cases of misuse so that the programs can be more targeted. It feels like there have been too many cases of ineffective programs in this country, including for the most basic things such as food and education.

This momentum is also a reminder for the relevant government to participate in monitoring and evaluating the programs being implemented. It is also a momentum to restore the spirit of educational equality. Educational assistance needs to be distributed to those who are entitled so that everyone has the opportunity to access higher knowledge in order to improve the quality of life of the nation and state in the future. In the end, the success of a program is not only from the numbers that continue to increase, but also from the quality produced. Happy National Education Day! (Compass R&D)