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Free schools restore child education rights
Free basic education is mandated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and ratified by the government through Law No. 36/1990, which calls for the involvement of the community as individuals or in groups, such as social organizations and NGOs.
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eared by a preoccupied single parent, Rahmat Hidayat might not have been able to develop his passion for computerizing had it not been for a free school near his neighborhood.
He now not only works at a healthcare start-up but has managed to accomplish his master’s program thanks to the SMK (vocational school) Informatika Utama, which freed his mother from educational expenses.
“My mother gathered together all the enrolment requirements, including the underprivileged verification document,” Rahmat, now 29, whose parents parted when he was an infant, recalled.
Upon finishing his vocational school, at which he studied software engineering, he went on to a university.
“My mother has quit her work since I got a job,” he said.
Efforts at children’s empowerment are also sought through non-formal education like those initiated by Jala Samudra Mandiri (JSM) in North Jakarta and Master School in Depok, West Java.
They tap into corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds to support the educational programs, which are designed to reduce the number of school dropouts.
Informatika Utama school students and alumni owe their thanks to state electricity company PLN, which has initiated the fund-raising movement through its Baitul Maal Foundation (YBM).
The school building is located inside the Gandul electricity transmission compound in Depok.
“The students are freed 100 percent from educational expenses, including those for books and uniforms,” school principal Suherman said.
The school implements tight enrolment-screening procedures to ensure students are eligible for admission.
Not only do the parents have to provide the SKM document, but a team is assigned for field surveys to verify the family’s economic conditions.
“For the current new academic season, 120 applied. Upon checking the documents, we had 82 and after field surveys, we took 62 students,” he said.
The idea of free education began with the establishment of a junior high school in 2003 and three years later the vocational school was opened to further help accommodate the needs of former graduates for higher levels of education.
“In the early years of operation, we had our tagline ‘free school’ mocked by people including those from the educational office. They questioned how we paid teachers and school staff,” Suherman said.
“What we mean by ‘free’ is that this school provides 100 percent scholarship. Parents do not need to pay a penny. Our foundation gathers funds from donors.
“Despite being free, we do our best to provide and facilitate education for poor people because we are obliged to help each other,” he said.
Currently, the school has 86 junior-high students and 162 vocational school students with 30 teachers and school staff. Some 400 graduates have been seen out.
Free education is part of YBM’s empowerment program, which also includes fields of social humanity, economics, health and spirituality, using zakat (alms-giving obligation for Muslims) funds.
PLN has administered the zakat deduction from Muslim employees’ payroll since 2017. Last year, some 35,000 Muslim employees contributed Rp 240 billion (US$16.6 million), according to YBM deputy director Salman Al Farisi.
YBM also manages a free school in Semarang, Central Java, and three Islamic boarding schools in Jakarta, Depok and Bogor, West Java.
“The kids may be in an unlucky financial situation but we are convinced they have the potential to be productive. So, we facilitate them with education and apprenticeships in order that they can support their families’ livelihoods,” Salman said.
Child education rights
Free basic education is mandated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and ratified by the government through Law No. 36/1990, which calls for the involvement of the community as individuals or in groups, such as social organizations and NGOs, according to Moch. Riza Zainal Abidin, an educational volunteer with JSM.
“Free schooling is a manifestation of the response to the needs of people who are unable to access educational institutions,” the JSM program manager said.
JSM organizes free education for school dropouts in collaboration with the Jakarta International Container Terminal.
The data show 829 school dropouts were under tuition at JSM last year
According to UNICEF data, as revealed by JSM, Indonesia had 2.5 million school dropouts in 2016.
“We are concerned about those who are unable to go to school because of their dire economic conditions,” Zainal said.
“We, as has also been done by YBM PLN, have initiated free education to cut down on school dropouts by providing tuition support for children, so that they can focus on learning without a financial burden.
“The purpose of free education is actually to restore the rights of children who have been lost for a variety of reasons, such as the high cost of education,” he said.
Meanwhile, despite being part of the nonformal educational system, Master School is known for producing alumni who are academically qualified enough to continue their studies at the nearby prestigious University of Indonesia (UI), as reported by The Jakarta Post in May 2019.
The learning center, which makes use of donations from various parties including state-owned diversified miner Aneka Tambang, had 2,000 students at that time, mostly orphans.
Rahmat has just submitted administrative documents to Pamulang University as part of the requirements for him becoming a lecturer in information engineering at the Banten-based private university.
