Poor Student Story Sues Education Commercialization to MK
Asa Reza Aldo Agusta to continue her studies in college vanished. The high cost of education makes it only able to harbor that desire.
Understandably, Reza comes from a simple family. His parents can only support his family for their daily needs. While for tuition, there is no budget allocation for that.
Unable to go to college, after high school, Reza chose to work so he could support himself and help his parents. Reza chose to work in an automotive factory and became an online motorcycle taxi driver.
But at that time his desire to go to college continued to be imprinted. While working, he searched for scholarship information.
The scholarship was finally obtained so he could study at Atma Jaya University in Yogyakarta.
In the village, Reza not only studied but was also active in student organizations. One day he found an article on education in the Trade Law.
Finally assisted by his acquaintances, Reza ventured to submit a judicial review to the Constitutional Court.
"I am not from a capable family so it is not easy for me to access education," Reza said in the Central Jakarta area on Monday (11/2).
According to Reza, the placement of education services in the regulation violates the nature of education itself. He considered education to be of a commercial nature.
"It means that education becomes profit oriented or commercial, and what is right is that education is a right for everyone and everyone has the right to education, not just people with a higher economy," Reza said.
In Article 4 paragraph 2 of the Trade Law that was sued by Reza, it is stated that educational services include services that can be traded with business services; distribution; communication; living environment; finance; health and social; recreation, culture and sports; tourism; transportation; and other services.
Leonard Arpan, Reza's attorney, said that he had at least collected five reasons that they could make the basis of the judicial review lawsuit to the Constitutional Court (MK). The first is the phrase 'trade services' in the Trade Law which does not mention certain specifications so that there is the potential for commercialization in the entire education sector.
Next, according to Leonard, is the potential for dualism in educational settings along with the existence of the existing National Education System Law and the Higher Education Law. Third, the problematic article can cause problems which on the one hand are responsible for managing education, but on the other hand treat it as a trading commodity. The next point is to place education as a private item.
"Fifth, making basic education a private good has the potential to release the responsibility of the state to finance education," Leonard said.
Leonard said the registration of their lawsuit had just been received by the Constitutional Court. They have prepared the evidence. However, they are still looking for experts who can strengthen this material test.
