Sri Mulyani Expresses Disappointment with the Education System; What Was the 2019 Education Budget?

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani expressed her disappointment with Indonesia's education system, deeming it inadequate, in a speech at the Apple Developer Academy Graduation ceremony at Green Office Park, Tangerang, on Tuesday (March 12th). This is despite the government's annual increase in the education budget, consistently maintaining it at 20% of the state budget (APBN).

For context, the government allocated Rp 492.5 trillion for the 2019 education budget, representing 20% of total state expenditure, which reached Rp 2,461.1 trillion. This year's education budget increased by Rp 48 trillion compared to the 2018 APBN.

This year's targets include 20.1 million students receiving the Indonesia Pintar program, 57 million students receiving Bantuan Operasional Sekolah (BOS – Operational School Assistance), and 472,000 students receiving Bidik Misi scholarships. Furthermore, the plan includes the construction/rehabilitation of 56,000 classrooms through the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Religious Affairs, Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR), and Special Allocation Funds (DAK).

(Read Databoks: Is it true that 55% of Indonesians are illiterate?)