Indonesia targets free public schooling amid funding concerns
Por Resty Woro Yuniar — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement Indonesia This Week in Asia Lifestyle & Culture Indonesia targets free public schooling amid funding concerns
Education experts question where the money will come from, and urge the government to focus on improving the quality of learning
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Resty Woro Yuniar Published: 7:00pm, 30 Sep 2026 Indonesia is pursuing plans to make public schools free at all levels, stretching from kindergarten to university, but mounting pressure on the state budget could hinder the government from pulling off the massive undertaking, analysts have said. President Prabowo Subianto summoned his ministers last week to discuss a plan to “accelerate the implementation of free education in public schools”, according to a statement released by cabinet secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya on September 23.
“Free education [will be] implemented in public schools, from preschool or kindergarten, elementary school, junior high school, to senior high or vocational school. Overall, there are about 164,000 public schools at these levels throughout Indonesia,” Wijaya said.
The government also aimed to finalise plans to eliminate fees at state universities, including standard semester tuition and initial admission fees, “in the next two to four weeks”, he said.
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