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Solo in Surakarta, jammed in Jakarta: Zoning policy presents schooling dilemma
The story of Azzam, the student without any classmates, is neither an isolated case nor a new phenomenon, said experts who pointed to corruption, a lack of transparency and errors in Indonesia’s education policies.
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A small group of students sit in class surrounded by upturned chairs at State Elementary School 5 Cikidang in Lembang, West Java on July 26, 2022. For the past two years, the school does not have enough students enrolled due to it being situated far from residential areas in West Bandung regency. There are a total of 47 students in grades 3 to 6 and just two teachers at the school. (Antara/Raisan Al Farisi)
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arlier this month, six-year-old Azzam made national headlines when it was reported that he had been the only new student enrolled in Sriwedari 197 state elementary school in Surakarta, Central Java, in the new school year. As the only pupil in his grade, he would study solo, accompanied only by his teacher, sitting at the same table as the boy.
While his story was largely perceived as an unfortunate novelty by netizens, similar circumstances have occurred in other schools for years. As it stands, Azzam will likely not be the last to spend his school days without enjoying the company of classmates.
His enrollment is neither an isolated case nor a new phenomenon, according to experts, who attributed the problem to corruption in schools, lack of data transparency and persistent errors in education enrollment policies.
“This is not a new problem. It is happening in many small towns across the country,” said Satriwan Salim, coordinator of the Education and Teachers Association (P2G).
“I am not sure whether the Surakarta government has evaluated the problem, but Central Java at large is notorious for it,” he said.
The issue has persisted since as early as 2017, when former education, culture, research and technology minister Muhadjir Effendy announced zoning requirements for the state school enrollment selection (PPDB) process.
Aimed to eliminate a phenomenon in which select state schools are regarded as “favorites” and more prestigious than others, Muhadjir’s provisions prioritized the entry of students living in proximity to a state school, reserving for them 90 percent of the total available seats.
