indonesia Eyes free Education Rollout by 2026
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A recent Constitutional Court decision mandating free basic education in Indonesia may take until the 2026 academic year to implement, pending budget allocation and technical preparations.
Implementation Delayed Until 2026
According to Deputy Minister of Primary and secondary Education, Atip Latipulhayat, the fee exemption ordered by the Constitutional Court will likely be rolled out in the next academic year. Latipulhayat stated at the UPI Bandung campus that “I think it will be quite challenging to be implemented this year because the budget year is already halfway through.”
Budget Constraints and Coordination
The Constitutional Court’s decision applies to both public and private schools.Though, Latipulhayat emphasized that enforcement hinges on financial considerations.“We are currently coordinating with the relevant ministries to see the possibility of allocating the budget. The point is that it depends on the budget,”
he said.
Technical Regulations Pending
Technical regulations and instructions for implementing the policy are still in growth. latipulhayat noted, “the technicalities are not there yet. For its implementation, we still have to do calculations frist.”
Constitutional Court Ruling Details
the constitutional Court’s ruling requires central and regional governments to provide free basic education at elementary, junior high, and madrasah (or equivalent) levels in both public and private institutions.
Chief Justice Suhartoyo, when reading out verdict Number 3/PUU-XXII/2024 on May 27, 2025, stated, “Granting the petitioners’ request in part.”
The court found that the phrase “compulsory education at least at the elementary education level without charging fees”
in Article 34 paragraph 2 of Law Number 20 of 2003 led to multiple interpretations and discriminatory treatment, conflicting with the 1945 Constitution Act.
Ensuring equal Access
constitutional judge Enny Nurbaningsih clarified that applying the fee exemption only to public schools could disadvantage students in private schools, especially when public schools lack capacity. The state, according to the Constitutional Court, has a constitutional duty to ensure all students can access basic education, regardless of economic status or facility limitations.
According to UNESCO, about 94% of children worldwide are enrolled in primary school, but access to quality education remains unevenly distributed UNESCO.
