MAKE IT HAPPEN WITH THE BASIC FREE EDUCATION
Basic education is a means to build the intellectual basis for the child. Whether or not building strong intellectual Indonesian nation in the future, depending on the success or failure of this basic education. Therefore, the government's determination in this case the Ministry of National Education (MONE) which will bring free education to primary school / MI and SMP / MTs country, we should welcome.
Legal formally, the 1945 Constitution article 32 paragraph (2) states that every citizen is obliged to follow basic education and the government must pay for it. Constitutional mandate is reinforced by the National Education System Law, which essentially states that every citizen aged between seven and 15 years of compulsory basic education following the availability of facilities and budgets are guaranteed by the government and local government. While the Presidential Instruction No. 5 Year 2006 on the Acceleration of Completion Nine-Year Basic Education and Eradication of Illiteracy, also has mandated the government to implement basic education accessible to all layers of society.
A set of rules above illustrates that the implementation of basic education is a government liabilities and obligations and rights of society. Both central government and regions in this case provides facilities and infrastructure, while the community provides support for the implementation of basic education. Cooperation mutual support and mutual support between the central government, local governments and communities is a necessity for successful implementation of this basic education.
Important questions to be answered is, basic education can really be held for free? Could theoretically, the more it has become an absolute constitutional mandate must be implemented as a form of state services to citizens. Along with the fulfillment of the education budget by 20 per cent of the total development budget in the state budget, the opportunity to conduct free basic education more wide open.
However, in practice in the field, regional capacity in support of free basic education is not the same. In fact, there are currently Together Make Free Primary Education-capable area, carrying out even basic education is free, but some are not able to implement it with a variety of reasons. Funds for example, often referred to as the main problems constrain the implementation of free primary education in the region.
As is known, in the present era of regional autonomy, the source of education funding, including basic education, the largest no longer comes from the state budget, but from kabupaten / kota. While the state budget funds are used only to help the school operational costs (BOS). Thus, the new free primary education can be accomplished if the local budget for adequate education. However, in some regions, the budget allocation for education was still minimal, the average is still below the amount mandated by the 1945 Constitution. The lack of educational funding allocations by local governments, however, will hamper efforts to achieve free primary education.
Local governments should have to provide adequate budget to support the establishment of free primary education. Local governments also need to proactively create programs and policies that can foster public participation and stakeholders to jointly develop basic education in spontaneous, self-help and self-sufficiency. The tripartite partnership between the school-community-local government is required, which in the long run this partnership will reduce dependence on sources of funding schools from the center.
With determination and a very strong commitment, some districts / cities in Indonesia managed to make basic education free without waiting for the drop in funds from the center. Even some of them Jembrana district, Kutai Kartanegara, Musi Banyuasin, could find their own money, so they can eliminate the cost of education from elementary to senior secondary level. The success of at least some of these areas can be used as evidence, provided there is strong political will from the concerned local government, free basic education is not something impossible to implement.
Opportunities of each region in order to implement free primary education as true. The key, once again, lies in the commitment of each region to implement them seriously and consistently, including the seriousness in pursuing partnerships with existing stakeholders. Without sufficient political will from local government, the realization of free primary education will be running in place. The central government could introduce free primary education, but its success still depends on the readiness of local governments.
It is clear that free basic education to realize it is not as easy as you imagine. Synchronization, coordination, cooperation and hard work of the various parties to ensuring the program is absolutely necessary. But as difficult as any, rights guaranteed to citizens who have the basic law must be fulfilled by the government. Although probably not be achieved entirely within a short time, but efforts to realize it must begin now.
The denial of the rights of citizens this basic education is not only violated the 1945 Constitution, but also will cause weakness of Indonesian human resources in the future. We certainly do not want left behind from other countries who have completed primary education free for its citizens decades ago, and so have the intellectual competitiveness quite competitive in world arena. Ketidaksuksesan primary education will only exacerbate the intellectual foundations of the nation, and in turn will reduce the competitiveness of nations at the global level.
By considering the implications on the quality of human resources in the future, there is no reason for us to delay the implementation of free primary education was. Therefore, let's together we support government efforts to realize this free basic education with full force.
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