From User Fees to Fee Free: The Politics of Realising Universal Free Basic Education in Indonesia

Abstract

Several developing countries have recently introduced policies supporting universal basic free education (UFBE). Experience suggests such policies often fail to increase access and quality of education, and illegal fees are widely prevalent. The literature identifies several reasons including the lack of replacement funding in place of fees and the loss of quality due to overcrowding and subsequent high drop-out rates. This article, using evidence from Indonesia's experience, argues that the underlying problem is political. We suggest that fee-free education is an attainable goal, but only if pro-UFBE interest groups are empowered to influence policy, demand accountability and seek redress against illegal fees.

What happens after you drop out? Transition to adulthood among early school-leavers in urban Indonesia

“…Many schools still charge informal levies or fees, such as registration fees (Maulia 2008;Rosser and Joshi 2013), and there are also substantial costs associated with transport, purchase of books and stationery, uniforms, and other school requirements (Suryadarma, Suryahadi, and Sumarto 2006). Apart from these direct costs of schooling, opportunity costs have also been cited as a reason for dropping out of school (Suryadarma, Suryahadi, and Sumarto 2006).…”

Legal Mobilisation and Justice: Insights from the Constitutional Court Case on International Standard Schools in Indonesia

“…For instance, the initial application for judicial review prepared by ICW and ELSAM placed a very strong emphasis on the problems associated with corruption in management at SBI/RSBIs, particularly the fact that corruption undermined efforts to improve educational quality at these schools. Corruption at SBI/RSBIs is a concern to Group 1 as well as Group 2 parents, given that it accounts for part of the fees that make an education at RSBI/SBI unaffordable for the former (Rosser & Joshi 2013). But a strong focus on corruption arguably weakened the legal argument-something that is important in the context of the Constitutional Court given its relatively high level of professionalism-because the case was fundamentally about the constitutionality of SBI/RSBIs, not the extent to which they have been affected by corruption.…”

“…To press their case, these organisations have engaged in a range of activities including: lobbying of local education officials and local parliamentary members; seeking redress in relation to corruption and excessive fee-charging at specific schools via state institutions such as the police, Attorney-General's office, Anti-Corruption Commission and National Human Rights Commission; and raising awareness about the problems associated with RSBI/SBI by speaking to the press and The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology 307 other interested groups, even foreign researchers looking into the issue such as ourselves (Rosser and Joshi 2013). 9 Importantly, for our purposes, Auditan/APPI has been helped in its endeavours by NGO activists concerned about human rights issues and/or corruption in state institutions.…”

“…While local parliamentarians often expressed public support for their cause, helping to generate media attention, they lacked the authority to compel the police, the AGO or the respective regional education agency to act against school principals and teachers who charge 'illegal' fees, reflecting their position within the legislative rather than executive arm of government. At best, the increased media attention amplified pressure on local basic education agency officials to take action (Rosser & Joshi 2013).…”

Fair access to higher education and discourses of development: a policy analysis from Indonesia

“…In terms of affordability of HE, the introduction of the 'non-regular route' admissions system at the existing ECB universities previewed a likely scenario of tuition fee hikes (Welch 2007, Susanti 2011. We know from the literature on school dropout in Indonesia that even under a heavily state-subsidised funding structure, schools continue to levy informal costs from students (for example for textbooks, uniforms, contributions to school infrastructure projects) to a prohibitive extent, resulting in dropout (Widoyoko 2010;Rosser and Joshi 2013). It is therefore reasonable to assume that faced with reduced state funding, state schools and HEIs would pass on the extra costs to students/parents.…”