Batu Formula Funding for 2004-5

During the year 2004 Batu implemented a School Funding Allocation scheme (DAS) based upon the numbers of students in schools. This is described below.

In April 2004 the Batu education office joined the Formula Funding Workshop in Surabaya which was organized by the MBE program. Based on inputs from the work-shop and what they heard from other districts, Batu has tried to implement a formula for allocating funding (DAS) for 2005. Variables that have been used include:

The DAS planning team proposed and discussed a draft formula with education stakeholders in the district. At the moment the formula has been agreed by the stakeholders and the total amount of funding has been proposed to the local government.

From the experience of Batu and a number of other areas which have implemented DAS, we have learned that we need to involve a competent group of people who can assure other stakeholders (executive, legislative, and community) that the implementation and application of the DAS will be effective.

School Plans and Budgets for the New Districts

The new MBE target districts Banyumas, Kebumen, Kota Madiun, Blitar and Kota Batu, have already received training in drawing up School Development Plans (RIPS) and School Budgets (RAPBS).

Participants for this training came from the 20 target schools in each district. Each school sent three participants including the principal, a teacher and a school com-mittee member. The training was also attended by the head of each sub-district education office (in Batu the person is called the subdistrict education office coordinator).

Whatever the situation in each district beforehand, it is hoped that after this training the schools in the new districts will be capable of making their RIPS and RAPBS properly, systematically and according to their needs. Then schools will be able to implement a model of School Based Management which is efficient, transparent, forward looking, accountable and participative, and involves all stakeholders. While they are making the RIPS and RAPBS the schools will be guided by facilatators who will visit them four times during the preparation period.

In Batu, the training included a presentation from MTs Negeri 1 Malang about their experiences in preparing their school's RIPS and RAPBS. The presentation was given by Deputy Principal for School Development, Bpk Drs. Sutirjo, M.Pd (photo up). The MTs has succeded in developing from a virtually unknown school to become one of Malang's and East Java's best schools.

It has achieved several academic awards at the national and international level. The school also well known for excelling in school management and community participation. It is hoped that the participants will learn from this presentation and apply the lessons to their own schools.

Kebumen is Proactive in School Mapping Analysis The MBE program will conduct a workshop in early 2005 to analyze the school mapping data collected by the five new districts (Banyumas, Kebumen, Kota Madiun, Blitar and Kota Batu). But Kebumen district has completed collecting data not only in the two target subdistricts, but in all 26 sub-districts and has conducted a workshop in school mapping analysis. Deputy Bupati from Kebumen Bpk. KH. M. Nashiruddin AM The workshop that they conducted from the 8 - 9 December 2004 was opened by the deputy district head of Kebumen, Bpk K H. M. Nashiruddin AM, and was attended by the head of regional development (Bapeda) Kebumen, Bpk Drs. H. Mahar Moegiyono NH. In the District Head's speech, delivered by Bpk KH.M.Nashiruddin AM, Ibu Dra. Hj. Rustriningsih Msi said that this workshop was very imortant because the outcomes will be used as the basis for education planning. The planning will be well supported by data that is accurate and will allow efficient implementation of effective and well targeted education development. Furthermore, he stated that the district head hopes that there will be no schools that are disadvantaged because of bad data and planning. During the year 2005 the regional goverment will be conducting a program of rehabilitation of schools. To stimulate community participation funds will be distributed from the local goverment budget (APBD - Rp. 8 million per classroom) and from the special funding allocation (DAK - Rp. 50 million per school). The results and the recommendations of the analysis were reported during a planning workshop in late December 2004 which was attended by a variety of stakeholders including the DPRD, the Education Council (Dewan Pendidikan), and education NGO's.