Funding of SBI schoolsIn terms of f

Funding of SBI schools
In terms of funding, the central government and provincial government currently offer extra
funding for SBI schools who join the scheme, as has been fully reviewed by Coleman (2009:29-30),
and in some cases, as Coleman reports, these funds can be substantial. The primary school I visited
had received such funds to pay for extra facilities, science materials, books and so on, and the sum
to date was relatively large – Rp900 million (which is £55,600 according to Coleman 2009). The
school also charges fees, which are regulated by the government, and these can be increased by
10-20% per year. The same was true of the Junior Secondary school.
Some stakeholders questioned the amount of funding offered by the government, noting that
many schools in the cities could get funds from parents, while schools in the countryside and
smaller towns needed central government funding more. In other words, it was felt by some
stakeholders that at the moment the distribution of funding is not always well-targeted since some
schools which are already ‘rich’ are getting richer, while poorer schools which need more funding
are not receiving enough.
It is not clear whether these claims are true or not, but it would seem valuable for the Ministry at
this stage to review the funding of SBI schools to ensure that the funding arrangements are
equitable and appropriate. This review could also include consideration of the fees which parents
need to pay. In some countries (such as Thailand) many parents are willing to pay extra for English
and this money can have a positive effect on the educational system, if it is organised well, as it
injects funds which can be used for more teachers, materials and other areas to support English
education. However, this issue needs to be considered by the Ministry in the light of conditions in
Indonesia.