The pitfalls of autonomy in education

The pitfalls of autonomy in education Akh Muzakki ;  The writer, Chairman of LP Ma’arif Nahdlatul Ulama in East Java, lectures at the State Institute of Islamic Studies (IAIN) Sunan Ampel in Surabaya

JAKARTA POST, 17 Januari 2013

The public needs to be aware of the negative effect of regional autonomy on education. Policies of decentralization have often lead to discrimination in education, which, if unresolved, will continue unabated. Such discrimination was readily apparent in 2012. In the run up to the start of the most recent school year, the administration of Surabaya, East Java, the nation’s second-largest city, established a quota on the number of students from outside Surabaya who would allowed to register for school in the city.  The quota, fixed at 1 percent of the student body, is connected indirectly with the amount of educational operational assistance funds (Bopda) from the central government that the city receives. The ostensible reason behind the policy was to give priority to the citizens of Surabaya, which looks to make sense, as the city’s budget is largely financed by local taxpayers. Hence, regional autonomy was effectively used as a basis for introducing the quota.  However, the quota has been criticized, with calls emerging for its revision or revocation. Using regional autonomy within the framework of the regional budget as a pretext for introducing the quota is inappropriate, according to critics who say that the growth of Surabaya is not just attributable to the citizens of the city.  Residents of the Greater Surabaya area and beyond have also contributed to the increases in the city’s revenues, through productive activities (such as investment and human resources working in Surabaya) and consumption in the shopping centers of Surabaya. Despite these contributions, regional autonomy has led local governments to become deaf and ignorant, politically speaking. It is clear that the 1 percent quota will continue to be implemented in 2013.  Regional autonomy has created pitfalls for the national education system. While the Constitution guarantees equal access to education for all citizens, regional autonomy has had an opposite effect, introducing discrimination and narrow mindedness. The situation worsened after Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi issued a directive banning local governments from providing financial assistance to Islamic schools (madrassa).  The minister argues that madrassa are religious educational institutions. Since religion is not part of the authority delegated to local administrations under regional autonomy, madrassa have been considered the business of the central government under the Religious Affairs Ministry.  Of course, the basis of Fauzi’s policy is misguided and the letters should be vacated. There are two important reasons for doing so. First, a madrassa is an educational affair, and not a matter of religion. While it is true that religious affairs are excluded from regional autonomy, the power of local administrations has been limited to ensuring the practice of religious beliefs. Madrassa have been legally recognized under Law No. 20/2003 on the national education system as a type of school. Government regulations No. 19/2005 on national education standards and No. 55/2007 on religious education, which were enacted to implement the law, also ban discrimination against madrassa. Second, the portions of the state budget allocated to the Education and Culture Ministry and the Religious Affairs Ministry, as the state institutions authorized to manage national education, are far from balanced.  The budget allocated for the Religious Affairs Ministry for educational affairs in 2013 was Rp 40 trillion (US$4.16 billion), as opposed to Rp 74 trillion for the Education and Culture Ministry.  If the central government, through the Home Ministry, prohibits local governments from providing financial assistance to madrassa, then discrimination in the nation’s education system will continue unabated. Politics are often deemed the cause behind the introduction of controversial and discriminatory policies. In the current multiparty political system, political elites always take advantage of possible opportunities to promote their political interests at the expense of others. This applies to the central government, and even more so to local governments in the era of regional autonomy. Education is the right of every citizen, as stipulated by the Constitution and ministerial regulation. What is needed in the era of regional autonomy is implementation of good and fair policies that promote public schools and madrassa as the primary stakeholders in the national education system. Providing an adequate and equitable education to improve the intellectual life of the nation is our national priority. Regional autonomy is merely a tool to support the nation’s march to progress. ●