0 Bandung parents say BOS funds cannot cover school costs

Some parents in Bandung, West Java, say that the central government’s School Operational Assistance (BOS) fund is not enough to cover the cost of their children’s ostensibly free education. The Education and Culture Ministry has allocated Rp 1 million (US$110) in yearly BOS funds for each of West Java’s 1.2 million senior high school and vocational high school students. However, SMA 1 Bandung senior high school parent committee secretary M. Munif said that he was worried that the BOS money would not cover the operational costs of the school, which has required parents to pay an Education Implementation Donation (SPP), or school fee. 

“When my child was in junior high school — which was already free, thanks to the BOS — the school committee continued to collect fees from parents, as the BOS funds were not enough to cover the cost of the educational infrastructure and facilities, extracurricular activities and other things,” Munif said in Bandung on Monday. Munif said that he previously paid Rp 30,000 a month for his child to attend junior high, while the school received Rp 127,500 in BOS funds for each student. He said that disbursing BOS funds for senior high school students would cause public anxiety, as schools were expected not to charge fees if they accept BOS funds. 

In reality, school fees for SMA students are higher than those in junior high school. Munif said that the monthly SPP fees paid by parents at SMA 1 Bandung topped Rp 300,000 per student. “Ideally, the BOS funds for SMAs can cover all the expenses that are now met by collecting SPPs,” he said. Separately, SMK 6 Bandung vocational high school parent committee head M. Husni Thamrin agreed, saying that the operating costs for vocational schools were greater than for traditional high schools. “We have to meet the needs of our labs, workshop and student practical trainings,” Husni said. 

According to Husni, the SPPs paid by parents have been used to cover learning materials, teacher salaries and extracurricular activities. Husni was concerned about how BOS funds would be managed if the school accepts the money. “The disbursement of BOS funds is not clear. If we are late in paying the electricity bill for just a month, it will immediately be cut, while school activities are carried out every day.” Husni and Munif agreed that the government should waive student fees, but not at the expense of service or quality. 

Meanwhile, West Java Education Agency head Wahyudin Zarkasyi said that the province would funnel BOS funds to local senior high schools and vocational high schools when the new school year begins in July, although there will be an initial BOS disbursement of Rp 500,000 between January and June. Wahyudin said that parents and school committees should not worry about the BOS funds, which would be used for investment, operational and personal costs, while other needs would be funded by the provincial administration. The West Java administration previously said it would allocate Rp 300 billion in support funds from this year’s provincial budget. “Each student will get Rp 300,000 every year,” Wahyudin said.

source : the jakarta post