Basic education in Bali—and the rest of the country—is expected to become free of charge starting in the 2026 academic year, following a recent Constitutional Court ruling that mandates tuition-free schooling at both public and private institutions across Indonesia.
Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Atip Latipulhayat confirmed on Monday that the policy, which applies to elementary, junior high, and equivalent religious schools such as madrasahs, will not likely be implemented this year due to budget constraints.
“I think it will be quite difficult to be implemented this year because the budget year is already halfway through,” Latipulhayat said during a visit to the UPI Bandung campus.
Policy to include private and religious schools
The Constitutional Court’s ruling, delivered on 27 May, requires the central and regional governments to provide free basic education in both public and private institutions.
The decision affects all regions, including Bali, where both public and private schools operate under the national education system.
Latipulhayat explained that the implementation still depends on inter-ministerial coordination and financial feasibility.
“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.
He also noted that the policy’s technical instructions have yet to be issued. “The technicalities are not there yet. For its implementation, we still have to do calculations first,” he said.
Court addresses legal ambiguity
The Constitutional Court ruling, issued under verdict Number 3/PUU-XXII/2024, found that the existing language in Article 34 paragraph 2 of the National Education System Law had led to unequal treatment and confusion.
The article previously stated that compulsory education should be free “at least at the elementary education level,” a phrase the court said has created differing interpretations and discriminatory outcomes.
Chief Justice Suhartoyo said that the phrase’s ambiguity contradicted the 1945 Constitution.
Constitutional judge Enny Nurbaningsih explained that the limitation had led to unequal access for students in private schools, particularly in areas where public school capacity is insufficient. The court ruled that the government has a constitutional obligation to ensure that no student is prevented from accessing education due to economic conditions or lack of public facilities.
