SBY calls for smarter education funding

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Wed, 09/05/2007 2:17 PM

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Tuesday called for improvements to the quality of education through more funding and legal reforms of the education system.

The President used a public lecture titled ""Indonesia's Transformation in the Globalization Era"" at Airlangga University in Surabaya, East Java, to call for a more effective legal framework to ensure government funding for education reached its targets.

""What is meant here is that there should not be deviations in the disbursement of education funds,"" Yudhoyono said.

Yudhoyono's comments came in response to a letter sent to him by Airlangga University's Student Executive Body (BEM Unair).

In its letter, BEM Unair urged the government to focus on setting objectives and targets for improving the quality of education, rather than merely focusing on expanding funding.

""I agree with the students' way of thinking because, with (our) existing capabilities, we have to be serious about increasing the budget, and at the same time properly using it,"" the President said.

Speaking in front of around 500 students from universities throughout East Java, Yudhoyono said government funding should be better used to improve infrastructure, including the provision of cheap books.

""I'll tell (this) to Education Minister Bambang Sudibyo to enable him to make sure the increase in education funding to 12.3 percent (of the total state budget) can be used in line with the target (for improved education infrastructure),"" he said.

The President's arrival in Surabaya was greeted by a demonstration by thousands of students.

The students protested against what they saw as the underfunding of Indonesian education, the corporatization of universities and the government's neglect of the hot mudflow disaster in Sidoarjo.

One student banner read: ""The small quantity of (education) funding shows the government is not serious about improving the condition of education and changing the status of universities to limited liability companies will only give the rich the chance to send their children to study"".

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