Education Is Not a Commodity

KOMPAS/WISNU WIDIANTORO

Minister of Research, Technology and Higher Education M Nasir attended a working meeting with Commission VII at the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Tuesday (30/1/2018). The meeting discussed plans for foreign universities to open universities in Indonesia.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS - Since the establishment of the Indonesian state, the nation has agreed that education is the right of every citizen. Education is also the main prerequisite for achieving and maintaining the four national goals stated in the preamble to the 1945 Constitution, namely protecting the entire Indonesian people and the whole nation, improving public welfare, enriching the life of the nation and participating in carrying out the world order.

Therefore, education should not be treated as a commodity. Categorizing education as a business activity, even though just as a service business, has the potential to turn education into a commodity.

"This country was born because it treated education not as a means of commercialization. If we look at the milestones in the journey of education and the seeds of the awareness about our education, education is not for commercial purposes,” professor of education at the State University of Jakarta, Hafid Abbas, said in Jakarta on Thursday (15/10/2020).

This country was born because it treated education not as a means of commercialization.

Concerns about the commercialization of education emerged after seeing the contents of the job creation bill (RUU) that was approved by the House of Representatives (DPR) recently.

Paragraph 12 of Article 65 of the job creation bill related to education and culture states, (Point 1) licensing in the education sector can be made in the form of a business license as referred to in this law. (Point 2), further provisions for licensing in the education sector as referred to in paragraph (1) shall be regulated in a government regulation.

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Previously, the deputy chairman of the House Legislation Body (Baleg), Achmad Baidowi, said Article 65 was included to accommodate the establishment of educational institutions in special economic areas (KEK). During a meeting between the House working committee for the job creation bill and the government on Sept. 24, which was uploaded on the DPR YouTube channel, the secretary-general of the Education and Culture Ministry, Ainun Naim, also said education was still based on non-profit oriented principles even for those located in KEK.

The ministry’s higher education director general, Nizam, said Thursday that the permits for the opening of educational institutions in KEK, even if for non-profit purposes, should be regulated because they would be located in a special economic area. If the licensing is not regulated, according to him, educational activities can be treated as business activities, which are based on commercial principles.

Separately, the executive board of the Tamansiswa Family Association, Darmaningtya, said the commitment of the government and the DPR that the education would be still based on non-profit oriented concepts, even if their establishment was based on a business permit, would not guarantee that there would be no commercialization of education.

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According to him, the existence of Paragraph 12 in Article 65 related to education and culture in the job creation bill would give a strong legal base for the commercialization of education.

Meanwhile, Halimson Redis, spokesperson for the academic study team for the job creation bill at the United Federation of Indonesian Teachers (FSGI), said he had to be critical in responding to Article 65 and its explanation in the job creation bill. Moreover, there are still other important issues regarding the implementation of the licensing system in the education sector which will be regulated by government regulations (PP).

"If it is regulated in a PP, there is a potential that the government will (any time) replace it. Until now, the PP is not clear. Meanwhile, if we talk about education, we should talk about the long term," he said adding that the plan to file a judicial review at the Constitutional Court (MK) remained open.

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KOMPAS/KRISTIAN OKA PRASETYADI (OKA) 11-06-2020

Hiero Lasut (20) attended the graduation of Sam Ratulangi University online with his mother, Youna Lasut-Sompotan (44), at his home in Manado, North Sulawesi, on Thursday (11/6/2020). This year, several schools and colleges are holding graduations online to follow the protocol for preventing the transmission of Covid-19.

According to Halimson, currently there are private schools in the outskirts of the city, which still operate with minimal facilities and neglect teachers\' welfare. In addition, policies to encourage competency tests or support for the welfare of teachers are still fragmented.

Based on such a condition, Halimson is of the opinion that the existence of Article 65, Paragraph (1) of the job creation bill can further widen the "gap" in teachers’ incomes which are now quite diverse.

Foreign universities

Regarding foreign universities, Ainun said, as the education cluster (component) from the job creation bill had been revoked, the establishment of foreign universities in KEK should be based on existing educational regulations. Universities that can enter Indonesia should strictly select so that only those with good reputations are allowed.

"So far, there have been (foreign) universities that have entered the country, both from reputable and unreputable organizations. We immediately rejected those who had no reputation. The purpose of accepting foreign universities is to improve quality. So, if they are not qualified, we will immediately reject them,” said Ainun.

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The practice of accepting foreign schools or universities, according to Hafid, is also a form of commercialization and liberalization of education, although it is also common practice in a number of countries. Malaysia, for example, allows foreign organizations to invest in education in their country, but only in Sarawak, an isolated, underdeveloped area.

"We are managing education not to give other countries the opportunity to educate, dictate to our children, dictate how good education is," said Hafid.