REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA– Education is considered one way out of the poverty trap. Education provides opportunities for poor people to obtain better jobs and improve their level of welfare. However, research shows that poor people's access to quality education is still low.
This was revealed in research entitled "Study of Gaps in Poor Communities' Access to Quality Education" conducted by Article 33 Indonesia in collaboration with the Knowledge Sector Initiative (KSI). This research was conducted in Bogor City, Malang City and Makasar City.
"Students from underprivileged families tend to be in low-quality schools, whereas students from well-off families gather in quality schools," said Executive Director of Article 33 Indonesia, Santoso, in Jakarta, Tuesday (9/5).
Santoso found that poor students tend to enroll in lower quality schools. They receive educational services that are of poor quality so that they do not provide optimal learning outcomes. This indirectly creates a gap in learning outcomes between poor students and rich students.
According to Santoso, there are two factors that cause poor people's low access to quality education. First, the quality of education is uneven, seen from the accreditation status of schools and the results of the National Examination (UN). The uneven quality of schools causes some people to receive poor quality education services.
Santoso added that poor people's low access to quality education is also related to the selection mechanism for new students. Recruitment based on ranking makes it difficult for poor students to enter quality schools. It is students who come from quality schools who are able to enter quality schools at the next level.
"Poor students who lose out in academic quality will find it increasingly difficult to enter quality schools with a selection mechanism for academic ability levels," said Santoso. Even though the government has set a quota for underprivileged students at 20 percent, Santoso sees that its implementation and commitment in the regions has not been optimal.
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