Reconstruction of Constitutional Responsibility in Financing Primary Education in Indonesia

Fajrianto Fajrianto; Muhammad Rizqi; Dhien Favian Aryanda; Ahmad Dzaky Difari

doi:10.36722/jaiss.v6i3.4775

Reconstruction of Constitutional Responsibility in Financing Primary Education in Indonesia

Fajrianto Fajrianto⁽¹⁾, Muhammad Rizqi⁽²⁾, Dhien Favian Aryanda⁽³⁾, Ahmad Dzaky Difari⁽⁴⁾,

(1) Universitas Islam Malang
(2) Airlangga University
(3) Gadjah Mada University
(4) Brawijaya University
(*) Corresponding Author

Abstract

This study examines the reconstruction of the State’s constitutional responsibility in financing primary education in Indonesia following Constitutional Court Decision No. 3/PUU-XXII/2024. The ruling corrected the narrow interpretation of Article 34(2) of Law No. 20 of 2003 on the National Education System (Sisdiknas Law), which had limited free education to public schools and caused discrimination against students in private schools. Using a normative juridical method with statutory and conceptual approaches, the study analyzes two issues: the Court’s reasoning in expanding the meaning of “free primary education” to include private schools, and the constitutional implications of the decision for realizing the right to education. The findings show that the Court’s decision rests on five key grounds: the constitutional guarantee of primary education under Article 31(2) of the 1945 Constitution; misinterpretation of the Sisdiknas Law conflicting with justice; the strategic role of private schools; the principles of non-discrimination and equality before the law; and consistency with Article 13 of the ICESCR. The decision strengthens equitable access to education, expands State funding to private schools, and redefines the State’s role as the guarantor of every citizen’s constitutional right to education.

Keyword: Financing; Primary Education; Constitutional Court

Full Text:

PDF

References

Ariza, H. (2023). Lembaga Pendidikan Islam Dalam Lintasan Sejarah di Indonesia (Kajian Historis Perkembangan Lembaga Pendidikan Islam). SURAU : Journal of Islamic Education, 1(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.30983/.v1i1.6697

Cortina, R., & Winter, M. (2021). Paulo Freire ’ s Pedagogy of Liberation. Current Issues in Comparative Education (CICE, 23(2), 8–19. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.52214/cice.v23i2.8577

De Villiers, B., Isra, S., & Faiz, P. M. (2024). Courts and Diversity: Twenty Years of the Constitutional Court of Indonesia. Brill.

Ferrer-Estévez, M., & Chalmeta, R. (2021). Integrating Sustainable Development Goals in educational institutions. International Journal of Management Education, 19(2), 100494. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2021.100494

Hariri, A., & Arifin, S. (2025). Analysis and Challenges of Unimplemented Constitutional Court Decisions by Legislators. Indonesia Law Reform Journal, 5(1), 1-24. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.22219/ilrej.v5i1.38332

Hoopes, A. (2024). How might Apple, Freire, and hooks Redesign the Modern School as a Site for Social Transformation? Interactions: UCLA Journal of Education and Information Studies, 19(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.5070/D41.19440

Hutagalung, T. B., & Andriany, L. (2024). Filosofi Pendidikan yang Diusung oleh Ki Hadjar Dewantara dan Evolusi Pendidikan di Indonesia. Morfologi: Jurnal Ilmu Pendidikan, Bahasa, Sastra Dan Budaya, 2(3), 91-99. https://doi.org/10.61132/morfologi.v2i3.615

Ibrahim, M. (2022). The judicialisation of discrimination in the Indonesian constitutional court. International Journal of Discrimination and the Law, 22(2), 125–151. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/13582291221094923

Kemendikbudristek. (2024a). Statistik Sekolah Dasar (SD) Tahun 2023/2024. Pusat Data dan Teknologi Informasi (Pusdatin).

Kemendikbudristek. (2024b). Statistik Sekolah Menengah Pertama (SMP) Tahun 2023/2024. Pusat Data dan Teknologi Informasi (Pusdatin).

Lesmana, I., Ardiansah, A., & Azmi, B. (2022). The Final Power of the Decision of the Constitutional Court in Indonesian Positive Law. Budapest International Research and Critics Institute-Journal (BIRCI-Journal), 5(1), 1765-1775. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.33258/birci.v5i1.3779 1765

Marshall, T. H. (1961). The Welfare State: A Sociological Interpretation. European Journal of Sociology, 2(2), 284–300. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003975600000448

Muvid, M. B. (2022). Konsep Pemerataan Pembangunan Pendidikan Nasional Sebagai Alternatif Kemajuan Pendidikan Indonesia. Widya Balina, 7(2), 469–476. https://doi.org/10.53958/wb.v7i2.153

Nziadam, L., & Amadioha, A. (2025). Quality Education and National Development: The Nexus. J Adv Educ Philos, 9(3), 114-121. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.36348/jaep.2025.v09i03.003

Pujayanti, L. P. V. A., Nugrahayu, Z. Z., Rahim, E. I., Muhtar, M. H., & Yassine, C. (2024). Indonesia's Constitutional Court: Bastion of law enforcement and protector of human rights in the reform era. Jurnal Pamator: Jurnal Ilmiah Universitas Trunojoyo, 17(1), 35-49. https://journal.trunojoyo.ac.id/pamator/article/view/24128

Rayfindratama, A. D. (2023). Kebebasan Hakim dalam menjatuhkan putusan di Pengadilan. Birokrasi: Jurnal Ilmu Hukum Dan Tata Negara, 1(2), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.55606/birokrasi.v1i2.409

Rishan, I. (2021). Konsep Pengujian Formil Undang-Undang di Mahkamah Konstitusi. Jurnal Konstitusi, 18(1), 001–021. https://doi.org/10.31078/jk1811

Shaturaev, J. (2021). 2045: Path to nation’s golden age (Indonesia Policies and Management of Education). “Science and Education” Scientific Journal, 2(12), 866–875. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3859-2526

Singh, D. (2025). Education is the Most Powerful Weapon Which You Can Use to Change the World: A Comprehensive Analysis. Shodh Prakashan : Journal of Educational Research & Training, 1(1), 23–28.

Sulasmi, E., Prasetia, I., & Rahman, A. A. (2023). Government Policy Regarding Education Budget on The Posture of The State Budget ( APBN ). Journal for Lesson and Learning Studies, 6(1), 142–151. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.23887/jlls.v6i1.60171

Yu, L., & Liu, Y. (2025). Education levels and high-quality economic development. Finance Research Letters, 80. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2025.107228

Yuliatin, Y. (2023). Legal Problems of Law No 20 of 2003 Concerning the National Education System, Indonesia. Path of Science, 9(8), 4016–4022. https://doi.org/10.22178/pos.95-23

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.36722/jaiss.v6i3.4775