senstvt

New education bill: A blank check? Bambang Soemarwoto, AMSTERDAM | Sat, 01/17/2009  | Opinion, The Jakarta Post The recently endorsed education bill states that the government will subsidize only two-thirds of the operational budget of a higher education institution. It is the responsibility of the institution to finance the remaining one-third. How to find the means to close this large hole is entirely up to the institution. Many suspect that to a large extent the students (parents) will have to share this burden through higher tuition fees. One of the significant debates surrounding the new bill relates to two opposite views toward this burden. The government sees the one-third proportion as a limit that cannot be exceeded by the institution in charging fees, thus ensuring fraud will not occur. Along with the rule stating that at least 20 percent of an institution's enrollment must be from the economically underprivileged, the government claims that justice is maintained. On the