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recent survey conducted by the European Union (EU) and the Culture and Elementary and Secondary Education Ministry has revealed that Indonesia'€™s elementary education system is still failing to meet the minimum service standards set by ministerial decree.

The survey, titled the '€œ2014 Status Quo Assessment'€, found that only 26 percent of elementary schools and madrasah ibtidaiyah (Islamic elementary schools) in the country were equipped with sufficient classrooms, desks, chairs, teachers or whiteboards.

The survey also recommended that 27 percent of junior high schools and madrasah tsanawiyah (Islamic junior high schools) have at least one teacher for each subject they teach in school, while the rest of the schools could have each of their teachers teach two or more subjects.

'€œThe survey will be a guide for our ministry, the Religious Affairs Ministry and regional administrations to improve and provide the best educational service,'€ Hamid Muhammad, the Culture and Elementary and Secondary Education Ministry'€™s director general for basic education, told a press conference at the ministry on Thursday.

The survey was conducted between April and May 2014 at 12,980 schools in 110 regencies and municipalities in 16 provinces.

The survey looked into 27 indicators of elementary school minimum-service standards as stipulated in the education ministerial regulation No. 23/2013. For example, the ministerial regulation stipulates the provision of books, science labs and suitably qualified teachers for all students.

It also reveals that Java Island has the best elementary school infrastructure with 34 percent of its elementary schools having well-equipped classrooms, while Nusa Tenggara comes in at bottom place with only 10 percent of schools having well-equipped classrooms.

Hamid added that for school rehabilitation and infrastructure improvements, the ministry had allocated Rp 10 trillion (US$801 million), 60 percent of which would be ear-marked for elementary schools and 40 percent for secondary and vocational schools, from next year'€™s state budget. '€œIn addition the government and European Union have agreed to cooperate in order to meet the elementary-education minimum standards,'€ he said.

The ministry and EU have cooperated on a program to improve minimum service standards with the institution providing funds totaling Rp 600 billion that will be distributed to schools that are regarded as lagging behind in terms of service standards in 110 regencies and municipalities in 2015 and 2016.

The fund-distribution program is expected to be completed by February 2017. '€œFor the time being we will distribute Rp 2.5 billion for each regency and municipality. After that it can be adapted if we think it is necessary,'€ Franck Viault, minister counselor of the EU, said during the conference.

Viault said there was a significant disparity in Indonesian education-system statistics, with the eastern regions of the country being left behind other areas and the EU would help the government to close the gap.