TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Susi Saodah, a resident of Tangerang, only wants the best for her daughter, Ayu. Five-year-old Ayu wants to help heal people, to become formally trained and educated as a doctor. Due to the family’s low income, it’s unlikely Ayu will be given the opportunity.

In Susi and Ayu’s home province of Banten, one of the Greater Jakarta Metropolitan Area’s poorest neighborhoods, more than 60 percent of locals has only received an education equivalent to an elementary school level.

The United Nations defines education as a fundamental human right that is expected and assumed to be given and received in a modern society, but in Jakarta, the world’s fifth largest mega city, this expectation is far from a reality.

Susi received a highly coveted education after being awarded a scholarship to a private high school, Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan, in Garut, West Java.

Despite graduating, marrying, and beginning a family, after a requirement to relocate, she was unable to find any work other than as a housemaid.

As a result, Susi’s daughter, Ayu, may not be granted the same educational opportunities. Although the elementary school is free, Ayu will probably not be able to attend middle or high school, because her family simply cannot afford it.

Ayu currently follows Susi all day at work, as babysitting is too expensive. She will soon be old enough for elementary schooling, which is free, but once that finishes, the entry and monthly fees for a local junior high school, SMPN 7, cost an average of Rp 200,000 per month. This is far more than the struggling family can bear.

Susi earns only Rp 1,200,000 per month. Her husband’s work as a rubbish collector is irregular. Although he sometimes earns slightly more than Susi, he can potentially earn less than she does.

Susi and her husband’s combined earnings are not substantially greater than Banten’s regional minimum wage of Rp 2.1million per month for an individual worker. The minimum wage reflects ‘Needs of Decent Living’, which is an estimate of how much it costs for one adult to live in a physically fit state.

Ayu has a passion for education, just like her mother had at the same age. However, with the family’s income so far below the ‘Needs of Decent Living’ for three people, her dream to learn is likely no more than wishful thinking – but that doesn’t stop the family from praying.

“I’m hoping that she can get to the highest level of education,” Susi says. “I hope she can use all of her knowledge and become someone ... so she won’t be like me.”

Susi Saodah and her daughter walk to their home in South Tangerang holding hands. Photo by: Hannah Orr.

In Banten, there are more than seven million unemployed workers. Education Consultant at the Ministry of Education and Culture Indonesia Doni Koesoema says this unemployment rate is linked to low education levels that in turn are connected to socio-economic factors and accessibility to local schools.

“If you just graduate from elementary school, you can only really do physical work, more so in the informal job sectors,” he says. “If they have formal employment, they are usually only waiting tables, welcoming people, or cleaning.”

Education Consultant at the Ministry of Education and Culture Indonesia Doni Koesoema talking is enthusiastic about the Ministry’s education goals. Photo by Hannah Or.

Figures from the Head Education Officer in Tangerang indicate 92 percent of the district’s children, including those in Banten, participate in some form of schooling. For every five of those children, three will never obtain an education higher than an elementary school level.

As Doni says, higher education is needed to obtain gainful, advantageous employment, if indeed, employment at all. Lackluster or nonexistent employment status reaps little to no income, prompting a low socio-economic or poor life, which can spark the beginning of a poverty cycle that future generations will struggle to escape.

Tangerang’s Head Education Officer, Taryono, believes that Banten’s low education levels, and resulting high rates of unemployment and poverty, are not driven solely by economic factors, but instead, have arisen and been worsened as the result of urbanization.

Taryono points to the impact of urbanization on the Open Middle School (SMP Terbuka) system as an example of this. The Tangerang Education department has set up five Open Middle Schools where elementary school graduates can receive higher education for free, with the government providing free tuition, shoes, books, and uniforms.

An influx of people moving into the district from rural areas have limited and restricted the availability of places in these schools, and also the availability of employment and increased job competition upon graduation, Taryono says.

Some state and Open Middle Schools in Banten are only able to accept a minimal amount of students of only five or six classes worth.

When these classes fill up, all the other children in the area are forced to find schooling elsewhere, whether that means attending a private school or even a state school in another province, Doni says.

This pushes another round of costs onto the families, whether it be expensive private school tuition fees or even just the cost of transport to schools elsewhere.

This combination of factors plays a serious role in the overall low-levels of education in Banten which, in turn, causes unemployment rates to rise.

“Some public schools’ enrolment rate is so high, that children can’t be enrolled [in their local school] and have to search for other schools which are far away; and as a result, many are like ‘Meh, just don’t go to school because it is difficult,’” says Teacher’s College student Selly Veronica.

Sometimes, families who can afford to send their children to the private or non-Open Middle Schools are choosing not to in order to save money, despite those schools often having greater capacity and resources available. This increases the competition for induction and enrolment into Open Middle Schools, putting further strain on the families who are struggling economically and cannot meet the expense of schooling outside the Open Middle School system.

Ironically, one factor that is preventing the demand for free middle schooling from spiraling entirely out of control is the limited promotion of these Open Middle Schools. The government funding that is available to families to support their children through the mandatory nine years of education also helps to reduce demand for Open Middle Schools.

Indonesia has a budget for operational aids for the students, at a rate of 20 percent of the country’s annual education budget.

Students registered in the National Education Information Database are directly and automatically eligible for governmental support up to Rp 1 million per year.

Every registered student is allocated a portion of the school operational fund (BOSNA) and a smart card allowing them access to free schooling at both public and private institutions, Doni says.

This funding has also been used to create model schools that encourage creativity and fosters a life-long love of learning.

However, the existence of government-funded education help is not heavily publicized, so many parents and families of struggling students are not aware of such schemes.

Susi was utterly bewildered at the prospect of such a program but met the idea of it with enthusiasm. Upon hearing of the scheme, she decided to register her daughter as soon as possible, to give her the best possible chance of success in such an uncertain time.

Ayu plays with other children in her neighborhood. Photo by Hannah Orr.

“I really want Ayu to become someone… She has dreams, she has the spirit, and [with some financial assistance] I believe she can achieve it.”

Amy Hinchliffe | Edlyn Felicia | David Julianto | Hannah Orr

Amy Hinchliffe and Hannah Orr visited Indonesia with support from the Australian Government’s New Colombo Plan mobility program.