FREE BASIC EDUCATION BETWEEN CONSTITUTIONAL NORM AND IMPLEMENTATION REALITIES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60153/ijesss.v1i2.193Keywords:
Constitutional Court, Free Education, Education Policy, Basic EducationAbstract
This article examines the gap between the constitutional guarantee of free basic education in Indonesia and its practical implementation following the rulings of the Constitutional Court. Although the Court has affirmed the state's obligation to eliminate all forms of educational fees at the elementary and junior secondary levels, empirical evidence reveals the continued imposition of indirect costs on students and their families. These include informal charges for uniforms, school maintenance, extracurricular activities, and other operational needs. The study adopts a qualitative, descriptive-analytical approach using doctrinal legal analysis, field observations, and interviews with key stakeholders. Findings indicate that limited school funding, regulatory ambiguity, inconsistent regional policies, and a lack of legal awareness among citizens hinder the realization of truly free education. The article concludes that while Indonesia’s constitutional framework on education is normatively strong, its implementation requires comprehensive reforms involving fiscal equity, regulatory clarity, institutional accountability, and civic empowerment to ensure the right to free basic education becomes a lived reality for all.
Downloads
References
Anindita, R., & Wijaya, A. (2020). The constitutional right to education and its implementation in Indonesia. Journal of Indonesian Legal Studies, 4(2), 101–118. https://doi.org/10.1234/jils.v4i2.5678
Annisa, B., Nazila, F., Fazlim, M. R., Khairi, E. S., & Siregar, F. A. (2025). Kajian Kritis atas Peran Hukum Administrasi Negara dalam Penegakan Keputusan Administratif. IJOLARES: Indonesian Journal of Law Research, 3(1), 18-24.
Arifin, A. (2023). Peran Hakim Dalam Mewujudkan Negara Hukum Indonesia. IJOLARES: Indonesian Journal of Law Research, 1(1), 6-10.
Badan Pusat Statistik. (2023). Statistik pendidikan dasar di Indonesia 2022. https://bps.go.id/education-statistics-2022
Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia. (1945). Undang-Undang Dasar Negara Republik Indonesia Tahun 1945. https://www.hukumonline.com/pusatdata/detail/lt4f6f0d3b8234b/uu-no-20-tahun-2003-tentang-sistem-pendidikan-nasional
Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia. (2012). Decision No. 46/PUU-X/2012 on Education Fees. Jakarta: Mahkamah Konstitusi.
Kartika, I. M., & Umbu, M. L. (2024). Demoralisasi Pancasila Dalam Penegakan Hukum di Indonesia. IJOLARES: Indonesian Journal of Law Research, 2(1), 1-6.
Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Republik Indonesia. (2021). Pedoman Bantuan Operasional Sekolah (BOS). Jakarta: Kemdikbud.
Kristiansen, S., & Prasetyo, A. (2019). Financing education and educational equity in Indonesia. International Journal of Educational Development, 68, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2019.01.005
Mahkamah Konstitusi Republik Indonesia. (2014). Putusan Nomor 20/PUU-XI/2013 tentang Pembebasan Biaya Pendidikan. Jakarta: MKRI.
Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas). (2022). Indonesia education sector analysis report. Jakarta: Bappenas.
Nurhadi, D. (2018). The role of judicial review in the enforcement of social rights in Indonesia. Asian Journal of Law and Society, 5(1), 29–47. https://doi.org/10.1017/als.2018.5
OECD. (2020). Education at a glance 2020: OECD indicators. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/69096873-en
Santika, I. G. N. (2020). Menggali dan Menemukan Roh Pancasila Secara Kontekstual. Penerbit Lakeisha.
Santika, I. G. N. (2021). Pendidikan Kewarganegaraan: Studi Komparatif Konstitusi Dengan UUD 1945.
Santika, I. G. N. (2021b). Grand desain kebijakan strategis pemerintah dalam bidang pendidikan untuk menghadapi revolusi industri 4.0. Jurnal Education and development, 9(2), 369-377.
Santika, I. G. N. (2021c). Tinjauan Historis Terhadap Keppres No. 24 Tahun 2016 Tentang Hari Lahir Pancasila. Vyavahara Duta, 16(2), 149-159.
Santika, I. G. N. (2022). Pendidikan Kewarganegaraan: Problematika Hasil Perubahan UUD 1945 Secara Konseptual.
Santika, I. G. N., Suarni, N. K., & Lasmawan, I. W. (2022b). Analisis perubahan kurikulum ditinjau dari kurikulum sebagai suatu ide. Jurnal Education and development, 10(3), 694-700.
Santika, I. G. N. (2023). Kedudukan Pancasila dalam Peraturan Perundang-Undangan di Indonesia. IJOLARES: Indonesian Journal of Law Research, 1(2), 47-51.
Sari, M., & Fauzi, M. (2021). Local government budgets and education financing: Challenges in ensuring free basic education. Journal of Public Policy and Administration, 6(3), 45–62. https://doi.org/10.1177/0952076719857384
Smith, J. (2017). Socio-economic rights adjudication and education in comparative perspective. Human Rights Law Review, 17(4), 659–683. https://doi.org/10.1093/hrlr/ngw020
Sudiarta, I. N. (2024). Pengaturan Hak Asasi Manusia Dalam Sistem Hukum Nasional. IJOLARES: Indonesian Journal of Law Research, 2(1), 25-31.
Sujana, I. G. (2024). Kedudukan dan Fungsi Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Pasca Perubahan UUD 1945. IJOLARES: Indonesian Journal of Law Research, 2(1), 7-13.
Wijaya, R. (2023). Fungsi Mahkamah Konstitusi Dalam Pengujian Undang-Undang Terhadap Undang-Undang Dasar 1945. IJOLARES: Indonesian Journal of Law Research, 1(1), 23-27.
World Bank. (2019). Indonesia education sector review: Ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education. Washington, DC: World Bank Group.
Yulianti, L. (2020). Challenges in implementing free education policy in Indonesia: Legal and administrative perspectives. Indonesian Journal of Law and Society, 3(1), 65–80.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 I Gede Sujana, Ande Ana Konda, Febliana Dapa, Eldiyanto Tadu Niga (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
