Provincial Government and Regional Government Encouraged to Implement Constitutional Court Ruling on Free Education | OBROLANBISNIS.com — Members of the Regional People’s Representative Council (DPRD) of North Sumatra Province are encouraging the implementation of basic education, namely Private Elementary Schools and Junior High Schools to implement the Constitutional Court (MK) ruling number 3/PUU-XXII/2024, which must be implemented and organized free of charge without levies.
“Every child has the right to receive quality basic education without economic barriers,” said Member of Commission E of the Regional People’s Representative Council (DPRD) of North Sumatra Province, Meryl Rouli Saragih, recently.
This PDI Perjuangan politician emphasized that Commission E, which is in charge of education, is encouraging the Provincial Government and districts/cities to immediately make adjustments to policies and budgets to ensure that the implementation of this ruling runs effectively in the field.
“We must no longer allow children to drop out of school because they are unable to pay donations or extortion,” he said.
Meryl said that schools that have been established and have implemented levies need to take wise and fair transition steps. She asked the local government to collect data and evaluate all elementary and junior high schools that charge fees.
“Provide sufficient budget allocation to replace the operational needs of these schools so as not to burden parents,” she said.
Then, Meryl continued, her party encouraged voluntary community participation without making contributions the main requirement for access to education.
“This Constitutional Court decision should be a momentum for evaluation and improvement of our basic education system so that it is more inclusive, equitable, and of high quality,” she concluded.
Summary of Constitutional Court Decision Number 3/PUU-XXII/2024
The Constitutional Court decided that basic education in public and private schools must be free, including elementary, middle, and equivalent. This decision was taken after granting part of the petition for judicial review of Article 34 paragraph (2) of the National Education System Law.
The phrase “compulsory education at least at the elementary level without charging fees” in the National Education System Law is considered open to multiple interpretations and discriminatory. The Constitutional Court considers the phrase to be contrary to the 1945 Constitution because it can create a gap in access to education between students in public and private schools.
The state is required to finance basic education in public and private schools that meet the requirements. This is because the limited capacity of public schools forces many children to attend private schools. ***
