Free Education from Primary to State University: Feasible Milestone or Fiscal Tightrope?

JAKARTA, Investortrust.id — President Prabowo Subianto has unveiled an expansive pledge to democratize the national academic pipeline, calling for public education across Indonesia to be rendered completely free of tuition from elementary school through state universities.

Delivering keynote remarks at the 28th anniversary gathering of the National Mandate Party (PAN) in Jakarta on Friday night, Sept. 18, 2026, the Head of State announced that the administration will convene a dedicated limited cabinet meeting to structure the policy framework.

"I agree completely," Prabowo said on Friday. "I will promptly convene a limited cabinet meeting. The baseline is that public education must be free—primary school, junior high, high school, and state universities must be free."

The initiative seeks to establish a universal public education safety net, removing tuition barriers that constrain intergenerational mobility across Southeast Asia's largest population. However, extending zero-cost schooling to the tertiary tier directly challenges the commercial operational footing of state universities, requiring massive budget reallocation and an overhaul of independent university admission mechanisms.

Funding Through Asset Recovery and Tech Modernization

Anticipating public skepticism regarding fiscal feasibility, Prabowo asserted that the policy’s financial requirements will be backstopped by sovereign asset confiscations derived from anti-corruption enforcement.

"People will ask, 'Where will the money come from?'" Prabowo noted on Friday. "The money will come from what has been corrupted, what has been stolen, what has been embezzled. That wealth will return to the state treasury."

Beyond tuition relief, the president underscored rapid improvements in school infrastructure and digital learning environments, emphasizing that children cannot wait for basic amenities like clean sanitation and secure classroom structures.

As part of this modernization drive, the central government has begun deploying Interactive Digital Boards (PID) across primary and secondary classrooms, including Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) overseen by the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Under the program, schools will receive digital screens across four designated classrooms to link students directly with global learning materials. Prabowo also tied teacher salary improvements directly to governance standards, framing educator welfare as a pillar in eradicating institutional corruption.

Building on Historical Precedents and Wajib Belajar Expansion

Academic analysts view the expansion of basic and secondary education as administratively viable, citing two decades of policy groundwork.

In an official analysis released Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026, Paramadina University Rector Prof. Didik J. Rachbini argued that universal free schooling through senior high school represents a logical extension of earlier milestones.

"Executing free education is by no means impossible," Didik stated on Sunday. "More than half the foundation was completed during the era of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono 20 years ago through 12-year compulsory education and School Operational Assistance (BOS)."

Didik observed that several regional administrations have deployed regional budgets (APBD) to deliver localized free secondary schooling. The Special Capital Region of Jakarta currently finances public and selected private secondary schools, while Banten provides monthly tuition support of approximately Rp 250,000 per pupil across roughly 800 schools. Similar progressive frameworks exist in Central Java, East Kalimantan, North Sumatra, and West Papua.

To codify these regional programs into national policy, Didik urged Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Abdul Mu’ti to officially declare an expansion to 15-year universal compulsory education.

The Tertiary Hurdle: Dismantling PTN Commercialization

While primary and secondary access rests on established operational subsidies, public tertiary education presents a steep administrative and financial hurdle.

To implement tuition-free state universities, Didik stressed that the government must dismantle the independent admission quota system (jalur mandiri), which public universities have historically leveraged to balance their institutional finances.

"If this system is to be implemented, jalur mandiri must be discontinued," Didik argued. "Under broad administrative autonomy, independent admissions have been commercialized by state universities to determine their own enrollment quotas and collection levies."

Didik pointed to massive student enrollment bodies at institutions such as State University of Surabaya (Unesa) with roughly 80,000 undergraduates, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) with 75,000, and Universitas Brawijaya (UB) with 65,000, noting that reliance on independent quotas distorts meritocratic access.

Reforming the framework will require the state to assume baseline university operating outlays directly through state budget (APBN) allocations, dividing institutional mandates by enabling state universities to focus strictly on research excellence while private institutions absorb market-driven student demand.