Jakarta (Kompas: (13/07/07) Parents could not stop complaining about the expensive education fee. State-run schools are as ‘ruthless’ as private schools in asking parents to pay various contribution. The term ‘education commercialization’ has been discussed extensively. Different to the previous years, complains concerning education commercialization occurred more often. Widespread demonstration emphasizes parents’ plight. The government’s assertion, that contribution during school admission is allowed as long as it is carried out proportionally and is not aimed at commercializing education, could be counter productive.

The government’s statement is not considered as a prohibition on the contrary, a justification. Education fee in state schools, including state universities, are not less expensive than those of private schools. As an example, admission fee in a state senior high school in East Jakarta reaches Rp 7,375,000, while in a private school in Central Jakarta is Rp 11,718,000. Place in school have been sold! Parents’ plight should remind our decision makers. Even though Indonesia has gained independence since over 60 years ago, the problems of education have never been seriously dealt with. Before we manage to settle the problems concerning national examination, more problems occurred about books, curriculum, education quality, and so on.

Indeed there have been some improvements after the reform movement compared to the previous era. Before, the emphasize was only concerning the importance of education (HR development), now it concerns education budget increase to reach 20% of the state budget. So far, the allocation only reaches 8 pct. Debates are still widespread, including about the Ministry of National Education’s management capacity. There’s no surprise to learn that Japan has allocated 100 times as much as Indonesia for education. But he should be surprised learning that Bangladesh, a poor small country, allocated 2.9 pct of its national budget for education; while at the same period, Indonesia only allocated 1.4 pct.

The people and the government should be equally responsible for education. When the education praxis is no longer perceived as a social activity but as business activity, trade law - “goods against money” - is ruling. People run education institutions like running business entities. Indeed this is the foundation of private education institutions. However, when the government carries out the same practices, we should raise our question. State schools are now as ‘ruthless’ as private schools in imposing fee. The irony in education only produces sorrow to be justified

Education commercialization which caused by a paradigm misperception on education has to be altered. This will be the starting point of prioritizing the problems of education thoroughly, not partially, with positive impact, including education fund allocation. Enough budgets do not resolve the entire problems. Adequate budget is only one among various requirements of education praxis. However allocating enough budgets will reflect seriousness in giving attention, courage to set priority, something that would never be settled by protracted discourse.