Hungry because I'm Stupid, Stupid because I'm Hungry

The above sentence is becoming an anecdote in society regarding the increasing cost of education and the widespread issue of malnutrition cases. It is conceivable that residents who are quite well off complain, having to spend an average of five million rupiahs to be able to attend public senior high school. Now he is forced to sell his motorbike or cattle to meet school fees. Rationally, for a family whose income is around the UMR standard, for example, seven hundred thousand rupiahs per month, it is really scary to imagine. At the beginning of the New Student Admissions (PSB) they had to pay two million, so this family was forced to fast for two and a half months. Expenditure on education costs that continue to rise must be accompanied by a reduction in consuming adequate nutrition. Opportunities to be smart and productive must also be sacrificed.

Access to education is hampered because primary and secondary school fees are increasingly unaffordable. Meanwhile, the interest of ordinary people is getting smaller to be able to study at the favorite universities in the country. They only dream enough to go to higher education such as UI, UGM, ITB, IPB, UNAIR, etc. Public opinion has already deified the statement that quality education requires high costs. This situation has undermined the mental courage of the poor to obtain equal rights. Poor people are increasingly difficult to become smart and get a decent job.

Education and health are the basic rights of every citizen. Basic services should receive the main attention of the state. This commitment was originally stated in the 1945 Constitution that we have. The minimum budget of 20% for the education sector is meaningless after the Constitutional Court Decision, because the salary aspect of educational staff is included in it. It is difficult to implement budget allocations that can reduce the burden on citizens in terms of educational accessibility. Meanwhile, the MPR RI's decision to pursue a minimum budget of 15% for the health sector is still within the limits of desire. What they found was the opposite...

 

Now, the education and health delivery system is affected by global influences which tend to be economically and capitalistically oriented. The problem of higher education and health costs is often associated with the quality and ability of the people to pay. Education and health are increasingly being commoditized by service providers. There is a tendency to deny the initial philosophy of providing the two basic services, which should have social value. Now the Javanese term "ana rega ana rupa" (there is a price for an appearance) has entered the discourse of the world of education and health services. This motto is individualistic, because it does not give the less fortunate people access to the same services. The principle of justice and equity is only interpreted unilaterally by service providers.

 

If people find it increasingly difficult to access educational facilities, it means they are experiencing "stupidity". The tendency of reducing the government's role in the provision of education, the community must bear the burden of the school and PTN budgets. This becomes irrational when people are struggling with rising food prices, on the other hand they think that paying for their children's school is expensive. School autonomy is practiced as freedom of budget management, which means free collection of school fees to the public as well. This tendency is getting out of control, each school has different targets and dreams. There are no clear signs of standardization of financial management. School targets are excessive, thus burdening parents of students.

 

The commercialization of health services is growing so great that it seems normal. The trend of profit-oriented Health Service Providers. Some hospitals openly take the form of PT. On the other hand, there is still a problem of information-communication asymmetry between service providers and patients. Service providers are in a controlling position in the buying and selling of health services. Health workers really determine demand, because patients do not know the area of ​​the health profession. In fact, medical expenses are often found to be excessive and increasingly expensive. As a result, after taking treatment at the health service, the patient's family has decreased their economic capacity. Sick people should go to health care providers to be healthy and more productive. The implementation of health services will add a new burden, the number of poor people will increase because the costs are too high. Overall, the implementation of health insurance for the poor has not been effective.

 

Due to the problem of difficulty accessing these two services, it is difficult for us to break the vicious circle that seems to have no end. The impact on the lowest point of society is experiencing endless stupidity and hunger. Cases of malnutrition are not solely due to poverty, it could be due to cases of infection or other accompanying diseases. However, if it is sued, it will certainly end in inappropriate behavior, attitudes and knowledge. This situation is an excess of educational services that are difficult to reach. Education is still the only opportunity for the poor to achieve vertical mobility.

 

Liberal economic situation as it is now, it is difficult for them to be able to compete in trade or to pursue agriculture. Inadequate capital, skills and knowledge factors become obstacles to getting out of the problems of everyday life. On the other hand, the continued increase in the price of basic foodstuffs has reduced purchasing power. Adequate nutritional intake costs money. Health is a person's capital to survive and be productive. Malnutrition threatens the quality of Indonesian people in the future. The government must be relieved to admit existing weaknesses, there is no need to be defensive and apologetic. We all see, how the performance of the government so far. The problems of poverty, malnutrition, and ignorance have actually been going on for a long time. We don't need to blame and mourn the situation. It is imperative for the state to fulfill the rights of its citizens in order to maintain their health and receive adequate education. The path that the government must take now is to immediately meet the demands of the people and re-evaluate all poverty alleviation programs. The government budget allocation that exceeds 60 trillion per year is an extraordinary amount. Why have the efforts to eradicate poverty from time to time been felt in a real and significant way by the community? Can the SBY-JK cabinet show changes in its performance so that the people still want to vote again in the 2009 elections? Wallahu'alam.