Ria Nurdiani25 January 2013 Issue No:256
A graft watchdog in Indonesia has sounded a red alert for the education
sector as it recorded some 40 cases of corruption in 2012, causing
losses to the state of around Rp139 billion (US$14.4 million).
Corruption was found at all levels of education, from elementary schools to universities, and from local education agencies to the House of Representatives, said the non-profit Indonesia Corruption Watch, or ICW.
According to the group’s latest report, around a third of the country’s entire education budget was misappropriated during procurement of goods and services.
ICW researcher Febri Hendrik said corruption meant that the country’s operating education budget was well below the stated figures, and the misappropriation could affect education quality.
“It could push the quality of our universities below the required standard. Eventually it would have an effect on the quality of our graduates – they will become unqualified graduates,” Febri told University World News.
A recent high-profile case involved a member of the House of Representative’s budget board. Angelina Sondakh, a former beauty queen and singer turned politician, was found guilty of misdirecting the 2010-11 budget for university projects under the Ministry of Education.
She was sentenced on 10 January to four and a half years in prison, ostensibly for accepting US$3.6 in bribes from a construction company.
In its report published this week, ICW pinpointed five types of corruption: fictitious reporting of events, projects or official trips; price mark-ups; extortion; embezzlement; and misuse of funds.
The biggest losses are caused by price mark-ups, where the difference is pocketed by corrupt officials. It is common practice in Indonesia's education institutions, driven in part by lack of transparency in budgeting processes.
“Whenever there's procurement in a university, then there's the possibility for a price mark-up,” Febri told University World News.
According to Febri, procurement of facilities and infrastructure are the most likely to be subject to corrupt practices.
Sondakh, for example, had been responsible for procurement for 16 universities in the states of Sumatra, Java, Bali, Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara, Maluku and Papua with projects worth Rp20 and Rp75 billion.
According to the law, procurement proposals for facilities and infrastructure must be submitted to the Ministry of Education by the university, and the ministry submits it to the House of Representatives, where the budget is approved or rejected.
Haris Iskandar, secretary general of higher education in the Ministry of Education, was quoted by local media as saying some House members had already seen through about 16 procurement proposals, when he had not even received them yet.
One of the proposals approved was for Universitas Cendana in East Nusa Tenggara province, he said. When it was proposed, the budget allocation was Rp15 billion. But after discussion in the House, it rose to Rp70 billion.
Haris was questioned as a witness last October, during Sondakh’s trial.
Linked to the Sondakh case, the Attorney’s Office has also charged at least eight senior officials in four universities: Universitas Negeri Jakarta, Universitas Sriwijaya in South Sumatra, Universitas Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa in Banten and Universitas Negeri Malang in East Java.
According to the Attorney’s Office, they were involved in laboratory procurement bidding.
The trial of the provost of Universitas Negeri Jakarta started on 15 January. The trial of the head of administration and finance and two lecturers from Universitas Negeri Malang started last November.
Those named at Universitas Sriwijaya and Universitas Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa have yet to be brought to trial, with pressure groups such as ICW criticising the delays.
Febri said many graft cases were not handled properly, adding: “It is not clear whether police investigations are completed or not. Even when they are completed, the Attorney’s Office often does not start the trial immediately.”
Corruption was found at all levels of education, from elementary schools to universities, and from local education agencies to the House of Representatives, said the non-profit Indonesia Corruption Watch, or ICW.
According to the group’s latest report, around a third of the country’s entire education budget was misappropriated during procurement of goods and services.
ICW researcher Febri Hendrik said corruption meant that the country’s operating education budget was well below the stated figures, and the misappropriation could affect education quality.
“It could push the quality of our universities below the required standard. Eventually it would have an effect on the quality of our graduates – they will become unqualified graduates,” Febri told University World News.
A recent high-profile case involved a member of the House of Representative’s budget board. Angelina Sondakh, a former beauty queen and singer turned politician, was found guilty of misdirecting the 2010-11 budget for university projects under the Ministry of Education.
She was sentenced on 10 January to four and a half years in prison, ostensibly for accepting US$3.6 in bribes from a construction company.
In its report published this week, ICW pinpointed five types of corruption: fictitious reporting of events, projects or official trips; price mark-ups; extortion; embezzlement; and misuse of funds.
The biggest losses are caused by price mark-ups, where the difference is pocketed by corrupt officials. It is common practice in Indonesia's education institutions, driven in part by lack of transparency in budgeting processes.
“Whenever there's procurement in a university, then there's the possibility for a price mark-up,” Febri told University World News.
According to Febri, procurement of facilities and infrastructure are the most likely to be subject to corrupt practices.
Sondakh, for example, had been responsible for procurement for 16 universities in the states of Sumatra, Java, Bali, Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara, Maluku and Papua with projects worth Rp20 and Rp75 billion.
According to the law, procurement proposals for facilities and infrastructure must be submitted to the Ministry of Education by the university, and the ministry submits it to the House of Representatives, where the budget is approved or rejected.
Haris Iskandar, secretary general of higher education in the Ministry of Education, was quoted by local media as saying some House members had already seen through about 16 procurement proposals, when he had not even received them yet.
One of the proposals approved was for Universitas Cendana in East Nusa Tenggara province, he said. When it was proposed, the budget allocation was Rp15 billion. But after discussion in the House, it rose to Rp70 billion.
Haris was questioned as a witness last October, during Sondakh’s trial.
Linked to the Sondakh case, the Attorney’s Office has also charged at least eight senior officials in four universities: Universitas Negeri Jakarta, Universitas Sriwijaya in South Sumatra, Universitas Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa in Banten and Universitas Negeri Malang in East Java.
According to the Attorney’s Office, they were involved in laboratory procurement bidding.
The trial of the provost of Universitas Negeri Jakarta started on 15 January. The trial of the head of administration and finance and two lecturers from Universitas Negeri Malang started last November.
Those named at Universitas Sriwijaya and Universitas Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa have yet to be brought to trial, with pressure groups such as ICW criticising the delays.
Febri said many graft cases were not handled properly, adding: “It is not clear whether police investigations are completed or not. Even when they are completed, the Attorney’s Office often does not start the trial immediately.”
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