Means of Instruction, Equipment and Infrastructure

Since 1973, large numbers of new schools have been built through the Presidential Instruction Programme (INPRES) called Development Assistance for Primary Schools. Since 1987, this programme has expanded its coverage by giving assistance to every school in the form of the Operational and Maintenance Fund (OMF) for schools. The amount of funding increased every year, from 310,000 rupiah per school in 1987 to 700,000 in 1992. The OMF is given to every public primary school, some private primary schools, and some private Islamic primary schools.

In 1994/95, there were 146,861 primary school units and 592,582 primary school classrooms; 5,212 general junior secondary school units and 64,306 general junior school classrooms. The implementation of the nine-year basic education programme will entail building about 150,000 new classrooms to accommodate six million new junior secondary school students, or an average of 15,000 new classrooms per year for ten years. However, there are still gaps in educational infrastructure and facilities in some provinces, in rural and in disadvantaged areas.

Starting from the school year 1977/78, the government implemented the school fee exemption programme, in order to assist children who are not able to enter primary school because of the inability to pay fees. The government pays a subsidy (known as SBPP-SDN) to each public primary school to fill the gap created by allowing non-fee paying pupils to attend. In 1995/96, the orientation of the subsidy programme was changed without reducing the previous coverage.

As far as the procurement of primary school textbooks is concerned, since the end of the First Repelita (1973/74) until the end of the Fifth Repelita (1993/94), 469.6 million copies of main textbooks, 310.7 million library books and 1.4 million magazines had been procured and distributed.

Limited finance is the largest problem faced by the schools in keeping up with technology. It also affects the educational infrastructure and materials, which should be improved and adapted to current needs.