Seven regions allocate 20 percent budget fund for education

id budget fund, 20 percent

Seven regions allocate 20 percent budget fund for education

Education and Culture Minister, Muhadjir Effendy (third from left), during a working meeting with the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission X in Jakarta on Monday. (June 24, 2019) (ANTARA News/Dewa Wiguna)

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Only one province and six districts in Indonesia allocate more than 20 percent of their regional budget to the educational sector without depending on the transfer of funds from the central government, said Education and Culture Minister, Muhadjir Effendy.

While the province is West Sumatra, the six districts include Ogan Komering Ilir, Pemalang, Bogor, Kutai Kartanagara, Bandung, and Bangli, he said at a working meeting with the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission X in Jakarta on Monday.

"Only 20 percent of provinces allocate their regional budget funds to the educational sector, but the fund includes the transfer of funds (from the central government)," he said

He said the budget allocations for the educational sector in the state budget (APBN) continued to increase. Likewise, the budget allocations for the transfer of funds from the central government to regional administrations is also quite large, reaching more than 62 percent of the state budget in 2019.

"The transfer of funds to regional administrations reached Rp279.4 trillion in 2018 and Rp308.38 trillion in 2019," he said.

As one of the ministries managing the largest education fund in the budget year 2018, the Education and Culture Ministry realized 97.10 percent of its budget allocations.

"In the past couple of years, the realization of the budget fund at the Education and Culture Ministry is the highest among 10 ministries and non-ministerial government institutions receiving the largest portion of the budget funds," he said.

During the meeting, the ministry proposed an additional budget fund of Rp12.22 trillion for the budget year 2020. The figure is lower than the ministry's indicative ceiling of Rp34.534 trillion.

In the discussion of the budget work plan (RKA) and the government work plan (RKP) at the ministry, the House Commission X urged the ministry to provide a database which may serve as a reference and make a description of obstacles faced in the realization of programs and activities since 2017.

EDITED BY INE