Equal Schooling for Every Child: Proposals for Indonesia's National Education System Bill

About this paper

This policy paper was prepared by Tim Media Juliyatmono, the media team of Drs. H. Juliyatmono, M.M., M.H., Member of Commission X and the Legislation Body of Indonesia’s House of Representatives (DPR RI), 2024–2029 (Golkar Party Faction, electoral district Central Java IV: Karanganyar, Sragen, Wonogiri), and Regent of Karanganyar, 2013–2023. It keeps two things apart:

• Juliyatmono’s stated position. Sections with this heading contain only what he has said in public, with links to the source.
• Team proposals. The detailed legal provisions, phasing and roadmap are proposals by Tim Media Juliyatmono. They build on his statements but are neither quotations nor his formal position.

Figures that could not be checked directly at the original source have been left out.

Executive Summary

Indonesia’s National Education System Law (Law 20/2003, UU Sisdiknas) is more than twenty years old. In that time primary enrolment has become almost universal, but participation in secondary education still lags, regional gaps remain wide, and learning outcomes are well below international benchmarks.

The system also rests on non-state providers far more than is commonly recognised. Most senior secondary schools, nearly all madrasah and over 92 percent of kindergartens are run by foundations and communities. Many teachers are not civil servants.

Two developments create a rare opening for reform:

• A Constitutional Court ruling. On 27 May 2025 the Court (Decision 3/PUU-XXII/2024) held that the state must guarantee fee-free basic education in public and private schools.
• A House revision of the law. Commission X of the DPR has agreed to revise UU Sisdiknas.

The team proposes six directions for the bill:

1. Parity between public and private schools. Schools that meet standards are treated equally in financing, status and access to government programmes, from primary school to university. The Court’s ruling is implemented in phases set out in law.
2. Secure status and better pay for teachers, including contract (honorer) teachers. The bill sets a statutory roadmap for regularising non-civil-servant teachers and a national minimum income standard for all educators. It requires monthly, on-time payment of allowances and legal protection for teachers acting in good faith.
3. Thirteen years of compulsory education, starting with one pre-primary year. The pre-primary year is publicly funded in community-run providers as well as state ones, and early-childhood educators receive full recognition.
4. Affirmative support for remote areas and poor households. Targeted cash transfers (PIP/KIP), school operational grants (BOS), infrastructure, transport and boarding, and fair university tuition (UKT) become statutory instruments for correcting structural inequality rather than annual programmes.
5. A curriculum grounded in place. Disaster preparedness through practice, literacy and libraries reaching remote regions, knowledge of one’s region, and cultural heritage.
6. Budget governance and accountability. The constitutional minimum of 20 percent of public spending for education is restated in the law, with priorities for its use, annual public reporting, funding that follows any mandate placed on local governments, and an integrated, auditable education database.

These directions start from Juliyatmono’s public statements in Commission X during 2025–2026, quoted in each section, and from his record as Regent of Karanganyar, including a public teacher-recognition programme and nine consecutive unqualified audit opinions from the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK).

1. Why Now

The Constitutional Court ruling. Decision 3/PUU-XXII/2024 found Article 34(2) of Law 20/2003 conditionally unconstitutional. The article is valid only if read to mean that central and local governments guarantee compulsory basic education without charging fees, in schools run by government and by the community alike [30]. The Court also noted two limits: private schools are not wholly barred from raising their own funds, and state support may be conditioned on criteria [30]. This holding now needs an operational, phased and costed legal framework.

Alignment with national planning. The RPJMN 2025–2029 (Presidential Regulation 12/2025) adopts thirteen years of compulsory education: one pre-primary year plus twelve years of primary and secondary schooling [32]. The current law still refers to nine years.

Legislative momentum. In July 2026 the Commission X working committee (Panja) on the bill held regional consultations, and eight factions agreed to adopt the bill as a Commission X initiative for harmonisation in the Legislation Body [1]. According to reports in early August 2026, the Commission’s draft had been forwarded to the DPR leadership for plenary adoption as a House initiative bill [2]. Since 14 August 2026 Juliyatmono has also sat on the Legislation Body [19].

2. Six Policy Directions

2.1 Parity between public and private schools

The problem. Private and community schools make up a majority of schools at senior secondary and pre-primary level (Box 1), yet they often sit at the margins of public financing and programmes. The Court has now ruled that fee-free basic education extends to them, but the mechanism to deliver it does not yet exist.

Juliyatmono’s stated position. During the Panja consultation in Yogyakarta (9 July 2026) he said the bill should "place private and public education on an equal footing … because private education is far larger in number than education run by the government" [1]. In August 2026 he added that equal treatment must apply "from university to senior and junior secondary to primary school … there must be no difference in treatment" [2].

Team proposals for the bill

• (a) A principle of parity. Government-run and community-run providers hold equal standing in the national system, including access to financing, quality-improvement programmes, infrastructure support, data systems and educator welfare.
• (b) Phased fee-free basic education. The bill should oblige central and local governments to finance the operating costs of basic education in private schools that meet set criteria; make those criteria transparent, covering accreditation, financial governance and affordability; and write a phasing timetable into the law itself. In Juliyatmono’s words, implementation must proceed "gradually … and continuously" [1].
• (c) Room for voluntary community contribution. Consistent with the Court’s reasoning, voluntary and accountable community contributions remain possible, but they may never be a condition of enrolment [30].
• (d) Parity in higher education. Research grants, scholarships and lecturer-development programmes are open equally to public and private universities, in line with his statement that parity extends to universities [2].

Implementation note. The fiscal cost must be estimated jointly with the Ministry of Finance. The team proposes that phasing start with private schools serving low-income families and areas with too few public schools.

2.2 Secure status and fair pay for teachers

The problem. Many educators are foundation-employed, non-permanent or locally funded honorer staff. Their pay varies widely and is often below a decent level. Professional allowances are paid quarterly. Teachers who enforce discipline can face criminal complaints. Counts by employment status differ between sources and could not be verified at the primary data, so they are not given here.

Juliyatmono’s stated position. At a Commission X hearing in December 2025 he said: "Teachers must be prosperous, because they educate the nation’s children. The state must give teachers its full attention". He added that the law must state that teachers, "public or private, can be assigned anywhere decently, in an orderly way and in line with accreditation standards" [3]. He has welcomed the direct transfer of allowances to teachers’ bank accounts and called for a Teacher Protection Bill [6], and urged that certification allowances be paid monthly [5]. In budget talks for 2027 he named allowances, salaries, career paths and pre-service professional education (PPG) as priorities [7].

Team proposals for the bill

• (a) A statutory regularisation roadmap for non-civil-servant teachers, with a timeframe set in law and annual targets reported to the DPR. It includes an accessible procedure to correct data errors that block teachers’ entitlements.
• (b) A national minimum income standard for all educators, public and private, with state co-financing for eligible community schools. Teacher welfare should improve substantially and progressively against clear benchmarks. This paper deliberately sets no salary figure; benchmarks should rest on cost-of-living and fiscal analysis.
• (c) Equal access for public and private teachers to certification, allowances, training and career progression [3].
• (d) Monthly, direct payment of professional allowances and incentives [5][6].
• (e) Legal protection for teachers acting professionally, including ethics and mediation procedures before criminal proceedings, while fully safeguarding children’s right to protection from violence. This builds on his support for a Teacher Protection Bill [6].
• (f) Accountability for quality. Continuous professional development and fair performance appraisal go alongside better pay. Juliyatmono has stressed that teachers must be "high-quality, professional and continuously upgraded" [16]. Teacher-training institutions should also be strengthened [4].
• (g) Recognition of support staff (caretakers, administrators, school librarians) as part of the school community.

2.3 Thirteen-year compulsory education, starting with early childhood

The problem. Over 92 percent of kindergartens are community-run [29]. Children who start primary school without pre-primary experience tend to fall behind early, and the gap tends to persist. The RPJMN already sets 13-year compulsory education [32]; the law does not.

Juliyatmono’s stated position. "If the state wants to prevent children falling behind from the start, intervention must begin in early childhood. Early childhood education must be accessible to every child" [8]. Speaking to kindergarten teachers in Karanganyar in October 2025, he said thirteen-year education "starts in kindergarten and must be well prepared", including teacher competence, welfare and facilities [9].

Team proposals for the bill

• (a) One pre-primary year (ages 5–6) becomes part of compulsory education, consistent with the RPJMN [32].
• (b) Its operating costs are publicly guaranteed in state, community and village-run providers alike.
• (c) Early-childhood educators, formal and non-formal, are fully recognised, with routes to qualification, certification and decent pay.
• (d) Standards focus on school readiness: health, nutrition, social-emotional development, language and curiosity. Reading and arithmetic tests as a condition of primary-school entry are prohibited.
• (e) Integrated services with community health posts (posyandu), family-welfare groups (PKK) and village governments.

The extension of the PIP cash transfer to kindergarten pupils from 2026 [31] is a welcome first step. It must be matched by institutional funding and better pay for early-childhood educators.

2.4 Affirmative support for remote areas and poor households

The problem. Regional participation gaps remain wide (Box 1). In higher education, tuition bands sometimes do not reflect families’ real capacity to pay.

Juliyatmono’s stated position. "Educational inequality is the root of economic inequality. If access and quality are uneven, the poor will remain trapped in poverty … Affirmative action must not be a routine programme; it must be a strategic instrument to correct structural injustice" [10]. He has called for a wider PIP programme and better use of BOS operational grants, infrastructure in remote and marginal areas, transport or boarding for poor pupils, and data-based targeting [10]. On tuition, he argued that mid-grade civil-servant families are often placed in high bands despite modest incomes: "A civil servant at grade III/b or III/d with two children in university finds it very hard" [12].

Team proposals for the bill

• (a) Education assistance for poor learners (PIP/KIP, including KIP-Kuliah for university) becomes a statutory entitlement, targeted through an integrated, updatable and contestable database.
• (b) Direct and transparent disbursement, with aggregate publication by school and region.
• (c) Funding formulas for BOS and infrastructure that weight cost, remoteness and disadvantage.
• (d) A duty on governments to secure physical access (transport, boarding or distance provision) where no school is within reasonable reach.
• (e) University tuition set on real household capacity (income, dependants, siblings in higher education) rather than parental job category, with an accessible appeal [12].
• (f) Digital learning used carefully in remote areas, taking infrastructure limits into account [17].

2.5 A curriculum grounded in place

The problem. Indonesia lives with earthquakes, floods and landslides, and schools are on the front line. Yet disaster education is not systematically part of the curriculum. Literacy gaps between regions remain wide.

Juliyatmono’s stated position.

• Disaster education. "Awareness and preparedness for potential disasters must be instilled as early as possible … disaster material should be part of the school curriculum". It should involve practice and drills with local disaster agencies [13].
• Literacy. Literacy policy must be "designed in an integrated way, from programme planning to well-targeted budget support", and stronger local literacy infrastructure is key to closing regional gaps [14].
• Cultural heritage. Heritage protection must go hand in hand with local residents’ welfare [18].

Team proposals for the bill

• (a) Disaster education is compulsory at every level, practice-based, adapted to local hazards and delivered with local disaster agencies. Every school must have a preparedness plan.
• (b) A duty to guarantee school and regional library services, with priority for remote regions (collections, librarians, digital services).
• (c) Geography and knowledge of one’s region (environment, resources, risks) are guaranteed for all secondary students. Parliamentary television (TVR Parlemen, April 2026) has reported Commission X support for restoring geography as a compulsory subject [15].
• (d) Local history and heritage sites are used as learning resources.
• (e) Character education remains central, as he stressed in the 2027 budget talks [7].

2.6 Budget governance and accountability

The problem. The education function receives hundreds of trillions of rupiah a year, but its composition and results are hard for the public to follow. Mandates across central, provincial and district governments overlap. Juliyatmono’s account of contract-teacher appointments in Karanganyar shows that central decisions can leave district budgets carrying unplanned costs [4].

Juliyatmono’s stated position. The constitutional 20 percent "must be stated clearly in the law, so that there is certainty of budget allocation" [2]. Meeting it well includes implementing the Constitutional Court’s ruling [1].

Team proposals for the bill

• (a) Restate the 20 percent minimum for national and regional budgets, with priority uses: school operating costs, educator welfare and affirmative support.
• (b) Annual publication of the education function by programme, level, region and managing tier, with outturn.
• (c) No new mandate on local governments (for example, staff appointments) without a secured funding source.
• (d) One integrated education database covering public schools, private schools and madrasah, with easy correction and periodic audit.
• (e) An annual performance report to the DPR on participation, out-of-school children, teacher welfare and learning outcomes, also published.
• (f) School committees and the public get access to school-level budget information.

3. Evidence from the Field: Karanganyar, 2013–2023

Karanganyar’s mean years of schooling stood at 9.27 in 2025 [24]. That is progress, but it means the average adult has not completed secondary school, so the 13-year goal remains real work even in Central Java. As a member of Commission X, Juliyatmono has overseen PIP disbursements to about 25,000 pupils across Karanganyar, Sragen and Wonogiri in 2025 (provisional data), paid directly into pupils’ accounts [11].

4. Risks and Mitigation

• Fiscal cost. Phasing set in law; needs-based priorities; transparent use of the 20 percent.
• Uneven quality in private schools. Equal financing is not unconditional financing. Use accreditation and governance criteria, with support for schools that do not yet qualify.
• Autonomy of faith-based and community schools. Public funding must not erode providers’ distinctive identity and values.
• Local fiscal capacity. Transfer formulas should reflect fiscal capacity, and unfunded mandates should be prohibited.
• Data quality. An integrated database with correction and audit mechanisms.

5. Conclusion

Equal schooling is a constitutional promise that must be written into articles, budgets and practice. A child in a private village primary school and a child in a public school in the city centre are citizens with identical rights. A contract teacher and the civil-servant teacher next door are both shaping Indonesia’s future. The National Education System Bill is the moment to state that equality clearly, measurably and progressively.

Sources

Titles are in the original Indonesian.

Juliyatmono’s statements and activities (DPR RI, 2025–2026)

1. [1]eMedia DPR RI, "Juliyatmono Dorong Kesetaraan Sekolah Negeri dan Swasta dalam RUU Sisdiknas," 10 Jul 2026. https://emedia.dpr.go.id/news/2026/07/10/juliyatmono-dorong-kesetaraan-sekolah-negeri-dan-swasta-dalam-ruu-sisdiknas
2. [2]Fokus Jateng, 3 Aug 2026 (parity and 20 percent in the Education Bill). https://www.fokusjateng.com/2026/08/03/juliyatmono-anggota-komisi-x-dpr-asal-karanganyar-dorong-kesetaraan-pendidikan-negeri-swasta-kepastian-anggaran-20-dalam-ruu-pendidikan/
3. [3]Fokus Jateng, 3 Dec 2025 (welfare of public and private teachers). https://www.fokusjateng.com/2025/12/03/anggota-dpr-juliyatmono-kesejahteraan-guru-baik-negeri-maupun-swasta-wajib-jadi-prioritas-utama-negara/
4. [4]ANTARA, "Anggota DPR: Guru sejahtera hadirkan pendidikan berkualitas," 9 Apr 2026. https://www.antaranews.com/berita/5518785/anggota-dpr-guru-sejahtera-hadirkan-pendidikan-berkualitas
5. [5]Fokus Jateng, 29 Oct 2025 (monthly certification allowance). https://www.fokusjateng.com/2025/10/29/desakan-anggota-dpr-ri-juliatmono-tunjangan-sertifikasi-guru-wajib-dibayar-bulanan-untuk-pendidikan-bermutu/
6. [6]eMedia DPR RI, 19 Mar 2025 (allowances paid directly to accounts; Teacher Protection Bill). https://emedia.dpr.go.id/news/2025/03/19/juliyatmono-apresiasi-kebijakan-penyaluran-tunjangan-guru-langsung-ke-rekening
7. [7]Fraksi Partai Golkar DPR RI, June 2026 (2027 education budget). https://fraksigolkar.com/read/2218/bahas-anggaran-pendidikan-2027-juliyatmono-tekankan-penguatan-karakter-dan-guru
8. [8]VIVA Jogja, 5 Jan 2026 (early childhood in 13-year compulsory education). https://jogja.viva.co.id/solo-raya/6199-juliyatmono-dorong-paud-masuk-skema-wajib-belajar-13-tahun
9. [9]Fokus Jateng, 30 Oct 2025 (kindergarten teachers, PIP for kindergartens). https://www.fokusjateng.com/2025/10/30/anggota-komisi-x-dpr-ri-pendidikan-13-tahun-dimulai-dari-tk-tahun-2026-tk-juga-dapat-program-indonesia-pintar/
10. [10]VIVA Jogja, 11 Dec 2025 (affirmative action for marginal areas). https://jogja.viva.co.id/solo-raya/5731-juliyatmono-dorong-pemerintah-benahi-akses-pendidikan-di-daerah-marginal
11. [11]Parlementaria / JDIH DPR RI, Oct 2025 (PIP in Central Java IV). https://jdih.dpr.go.id/berita/detail/id/60234/t/Juliyatmono+Tegaskan+PIP+Harus+Senantiasa+Terealisasi+di+Dapil+Jateng+IV
12. [12]eMedia DPR RI, 13 Apr 2026 (tuition for civil-servant families). https://emedia.dpr.go.id/news/2026/04/13/penggolongan-khusus-ukt-bagi-anak-asn-tidak-berangkat-dari-realitas-pemerintah-salah-persepsi
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14. [14]VIVA Jogja, 20 Jan 2026 (literacy gaps in remote regions). https://jogja.viva.co.id/solo-raya/6558-juliyatmono-soroti-kesenjangan-literasi-daerah-3t-masih-jadi-tantangan
15. [15]TVR Parlemen, "Dukung Geografi Kembali Jadi Mapel Wajib," 8 Apr 2026. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1DdaTSHw8Q
16. [16]Golkarpedia (citing dpr.go.id), 18 Apr 2026 (national academic test results). https://golkarpedia.com/juliyatmono-soroti-hasil-tka-potret-nyata-pendidikan-nasional-masih-mengkhawatirkan/
17. [17]Tangsel Pos, 8 Apr 2025. https://tangselpos.id/detail/33403/dpr-jamin-tidak-hapus-program-sertifikasi-guru
18. [18]Golkarpedia, 25 Sep 2026 (heritage and community welfare). https://golkarpedia.com/juliyatmono-tekankan-pelindungan-cagar-budaya-harus-berjalan-seiring-dengan-kesejahteraan-masyarakat/
19. [19]VIVA Jogja, 18 Aug 2026 (assignment to the Legislation Body). https://jogja.viva.co.id/solo-raya/11030-juliyatmono-ditugaskan-di-baleg-dan-komisi-x-dpr-ri-ketua-golkar-karanganyar-ungkap-harapan

Karanganyar programmes (2013–2023)

1. [20]Karanganyar Regency, "Guruku Idolaku …," Apr 2017. https://www.karanganyarkab.go.id/guruku-idolaku-menjadikan-guru-sebagai-idola-anak-anak/
2. [21]Karanganyar Regency, Entrepreneurial Regent award (education), Dec 2017. https://www.karanganyarkab.go.id/bupati-juliyatmono-menerima-penghargaan-entrepreneur-kategori-pendidikan/
3. [22]Central Java Provincial Government, Sep 2017. https://jatengprov.go.id/beritadaerah/bupati-dan-empat-opd-raih-penghargaan/
4. [23]Central Java Provincial Government, 30 Apr 2023 (ninth WTP opinion). https://jatengprov.go.id/beritadaerah/karanganyar-raih-opini-wtp-kesembilan-kali/
5. [24]BPS Karanganyar, mean years of schooling. https://karanganyarkab.bps.go.id/id/statistics-table/2/MTYzIzI=/rata-rata-lama-sekolah-.html

Data and legal sources

1. [25]BPS, gross enrolment rate by province and level, 2025. https://www.bps.go.id/id/statistics-table/2/MzAzIzI=/angka-partisipasi-kasar--apk--menurut-provinsi-dan-jenjang-pendidikan.html
2. [26]BPS, net enrolment rate by province and level, 2025. https://www.bps.go.id/id/statistics-table/2/MzA0IzI=/angka-partisipasi-murni--apm--menurut-provinsi-dan-jenjang-pendidikan.html
3. [27]BPS, higher-education gross enrolment rate by province. https://www.bps.go.id/id/statistics-table/2/MTQ0MyMy/angka-partisipasi-kasar--apk--perguruan-tinggi--pt--menurut-provinsi.html
4. [28]Kemendikdasmen, Dapodik (accessed 5 Oct 2026). https://dapo.kemendikdasmen.go.id/
5. [29]Kemendikdasmen (Pusdatin), education reference data, processed by the team from provincial tables (accessed 5 Oct 2026). https://referensi.data.kemendikdasmen.go.id/
6. [30]Constitutional Court of Indonesia, Decision 3/PUU-XXII/2024, 27 May 2025. https://www.mkri.id/berita/mk-tegaskan-negara-wajib-biayai-pendidikan-dasar-di-sekolah-negeri-dan-swasta-23308
7. [31]Puslapdik, 23 Oct 2025 (PIP for kindergartens in 2026). https://puslapdik.kemendikdasmen.go.id/tahun-2026-pip-menyasar-murid-tk-dan-bantuan-insentif-guru-dinaikkan/
8. [32]Kemendikdasmen, legal basis of 13-year compulsory education (RPJMN 2025–2029). https://pmp.kemendikdasmen.go.id/implementasi/hukum?p=landasan-hukum-wajib-belajar-13-tahun
9. [33]OECD, Education GPS, Indonesia (PISA 2025). https://gpseducation.oecd.org/CountryProfile?primaryCountry=IDN&treshold=5&topic=PI
10. [34]Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia 1945, Art. 31(4); Law 20/2003 on the National Education System.