Tudji Martudji, 53, and his wife have gathered together jewelry, a house ownership certificate and other possessions as they prepare to send their first born to high school.

The family in Tanggulangin district, Sidoarjo, East Java, only has two options: enrolling their son in a private school, which is expensive, or applying to good state schools in other districts, which carries the risk that their child will be rejected because of the zoning system.

There are no state schools in their district. The zoning system, in which schools are required to give priority to students who live in the same district, has frustrated parents who live far from good state schools — or any state schools at all.

“The zoning system excludes my son from state schools because there are no state schools in our district,” Tudji said on Wednesday on the sidelines of a rally organized by parents to protest against the zoning system in Surabaya.

Tudji said the distance between his home and the nearest state school was more than 3 kilometers, adding that the system prioritized those who lived nearer to the school.

“I’ve decided to enrol my son in an expensive private school,” he said. However, he maintained the system had to be changed.

Aiming to improve the quality of all schools, the government has implemented a zoning system nationwide for the past two years.

In the past few days, parents have done it all, from lining up for hours since dawn, to sleeping overnight in front of the school gates, to register their children at their preferred schools.

However, as the system prioritizes those who live in the same district as the school, those who have registered their children at a school in a different district can only cross their fingers and hope that their children will be permitted to enrol in their preferred school.

“I think the zoning policy is quite unfair for the children,” said Diah Sekarwangi, a parent from Sunter, North Jakarta, “especially if they are capable of attending a better school but are prevented by the zoning policy”.

Contacted on Tuesday, Education and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy told The Jakarta Post that the zoning system was vital to ensure that every child had equal access to schools, regardless of their background, ability or differences in socioeconomic status.

“There should be no discrimination, exclusive rights or excessive competition to receive an education. State schools provide a public service for all and they must not exclude, discriminate or be in rivalry. [...] The obligation of the government and schools is to ensure that all children receive an education. We have to ensure children go to the school closest to their home,” Muhadjir said.

He said parents should not be worried about their children not being enrolled in their “favorite” school, as all state schools had the same capabilities to educate students.

“[Students’] performance is not measured by their schools but by their individual capabilities,” he said.

However, he did not address the issue of students who lived in districts where there were no state schools.

Itje Chodidjah, an education expert and member of the National Accreditation Board For Schools and Madrasahs, said it was society that labelled certain school as “favorites” because they believed they were better than other schools. “There is strict screening to ensure the schools are filled only with smart students. The parents who protest the zoning system the most are those who for years have benefited from this situation, and who have the means to support their children even if the schools are far from their home. They believe their children should only study at these ‘favorite’ schools, among the elites. But what about the other kids? They have rights to study there, too.” Itje said.

The deputy chief of House of Representatives’ Commission X overseeing education, Reni Marlinawati Amin, said that although the commission fully supported the ministry’s zoning system, it was undeniable that many problems had occurred over the past two years.

“It is normal to see strong reactions from parents because while the system is intended to ensure equality in education, we have to admit that the quality of schools is still not equal. We hope we can discuss it further with the ministry on Monday,” she said.

The ministry and lawmakers will discuss the issue on Monday at the House complex. (ecy)

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