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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Culture & Society

Indonesian Students Demand Public Access to Education Bill Draft

From Tempo · (8m ago) Indonesian Critical tone

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Indonesian student coalition demands the government and DPR publicly release the draft of the National Education System Bill (RUU Sisdiknas).
  • The coalition criticizes the drafting process as closed and lacking public participation since 2022.
  • They argue that education should be a right, not a commodity, and warn against a bill that could further limit access if not transparent.

The National Coalition of Indonesian Youth Students (KNPMI) is urgently calling on the government and the House of Representatives (DPR) to make the draft of the revised National Education System Bill (RUU Sisdiknas) accessible to the public. This demand, previously voiced during a National Education Day commemoration, stems from the coalition's assessment that the bill's drafting process, initiated in 2022, has been excessively opaque, with minimal public involvement. Tegar Afriansyah, the spokesperson for KNPMI, emphasized that the public has not been granted adequate access to understand the direction and substance of policies that will shape the future of national education.

KNPMI's concerns extend beyond mere transparency; they highlight a perceived trend of increasing educational commercialization over the past two decades, citing laws such as the National Education System Law (No. 20/2003), the Higher Education Law (No. 12/2012), and the Law on Teachers and Lecturers (No. 14/2005). The coalition firmly asserts that education is a fundamental right of every citizen, a responsibility that the state must guarantee, and should never be treated as a mere commodity. They caution that the current revision process, if conducted without transparency, risks creating a bill that further alienates citizens from educational opportunities.

Publik tidak diberikan akses memadai untuk mengetahui arah dan substansi kebijakan yang akan menentukan masa depan pendidikan nasional

— Tegar AfriansyahThe spokesperson for KNPMI explained the coalition's core demand for public access to the bill's draft.

In addition to demanding the release of the draft, the coalition seeks the full involvement of students and the broader community in the bill's formulation. They are also protesting the continuous rise in higher education costs and advocating for the fulfillment of the constitutional mandate to allocate 20 percent of the state budget to education. KNPMI pledges to continue monitoring the RUU Sisdiknas deliberations and urges civil society, academics, and students to actively participate in overseeing these crucial policy developments. As Tegar stated, without openness and public participation, this bill could very well end up disregarding the interests of the people.

Tanpa keterbukaan dan partisipasi publik, RUU ini berpotensi tidak berpihak pada kepentingan rakyat

— Tegar AfriansyahThe spokesperson warned about the potential negative consequences of a closed-door legislative process for the RUU Sisdiknas.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Tempo in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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