Indonesia Butuh Kuliah Gratis

POROSNEWS.ID – Pembangunan sumber daya manusia (SDM) diakui sebagai keharusan, bahkan prioritas utama, oleh hampir semua pemangku kekuasaan. Namun, pada kenyataannya, kebijakan politik tak banyak mendorong maju manusia Indonesia.

Data Biro Pusat Statistik (BPS) pada Agustus 2021 menujukkan, sebanyak 55,45 persen angkatan kerja di Indonesia masih lulusan SMP/sederajat ke bawah. Sementara angkatan kerja dari lulusan perguruan tinggi (sarjana dan diploma) hanya 12,82 persen.

Angka partisipasi (APK) pendidikan tinggi juga masih rendah: hanya 31,19 persen. Itu pun angka rata-rata, tidak menunjukkan ketimpangan APK antar daerah. Semisal Papua yang hanya 20 persen, atau Jateng yang hanya 23,8 persen, sementara DIY mencapai 74,9 persen.

Tahun 2021, ada 3,7 juta anak muda Indonesia yang lulus dari pendidikan menengah atas. Jumlah mereka yang bisa lanjut ke perguruan tinggi hanya 1,8 juta orang. Sementara 1,9 juta orang berhenti setelah lulus SMA/sederajat.

Masalah Akses

Jumlah perguruan tinggi di negeri ini tidaklah sedikit. Pada 2017, berdasarkan data Kementerian Riset Teknologi dan Perguruan Tinggi (Ristek Dikti), jumlah unit perguruan tinggi yang terdaftar mencapai 4.504 unit. Sebanyak 90 persen diantaranya adalah perguruan tinggi swasta (PTS).

Bandingkan dengan Tiongkok, negeri berpenduduk 1,4 milyar, hanya punya 2800-an perguruan tinggi.

Masalahnya, meski jumlah perguruan tinggi di Indonesia melimpah, daya tampungnya kecil. Jika dirata-rata, daya tampung PTS di Indonesia hanya 720-an orang.

Di sinilah letak masalahnya. Tak sedikit PTS berdiri karena orientasi bisnis. Biaya pendidikannya terbilang mahal. Akibatnya, meski jumlah pendidikan tinggi banyak, tetapi pintu tidak gampang diakses karena persoalan biaya yang mahal.

Selain itu, privatisasi pendidikan tinggi negeri juga turut berkontribusi mempersempit akses pendidikan tinggi. Selama ini, meski jumlahnya lebih sedikit, tetapi daya tampung PTN lebih besar. Rata-rata PTN di Indonesia menampung 4900-an mahasiswa.

Inilah persoalan terbesar pendidikan tinggi kita: akses. Soal bagaimana membuka pintu-pintu perguruan tinggi agar bisa dimasuki oleh setiap warga negara tanpa rintangan.

Selama ini, rintangan terbesar bagi setiap warga negara untuk mengakses pendidikan adalah biaya.

Temuan Kompas pada 28 Juli 2022 menyingkap fakta itu. Hasil analisis Kompas terhadap biaya kuliah di 30 kampus dan juga data Badan Pusat Statistik (BPS) menunjukkan bahwa kenaikan biaya kuliah di Indonesia sulit diimbangi oleh peningkatan gaji masyarakat.

Kenaikan upah orang tua lulusan SMA rata-rata 3,8 persen per tahun, sedangkan kenaikan upah orangtua lulusan universitas rata-rata 2,7 persen per tahun. Sementara biaya studi di perguruan tinggi diperkirakan naik 6,03 persen per tahun.

Survei HSBC terkait biaya pendidikan pada 2018 lalu menyebut biaya pendidikan yang harus dikeluarkan orang tua untuk anaknya dari SD hingga perguruan tinggi sebesar US$ 18.422 atau sebanding dengan Rp 257.908.000 (kurs Rp 14.000).

Di sisi lain, kalau merujuk data Bank Dunia, 7 dari 10 orang Indonesia dikategorikan miskin, hampir miskin (vurnerable), dan calon kelas menengah (aspiring middle class), yang pengeluarannya hanya Rp 1,2 juta ke bawah. Kelompok ekonomi ini tentu sulit mengakses perguruan tinggi karena faktor biaya.

Kuliah Gratis

Keharusan membuka akses pendidikan bagi semua warga negara tidak hanya bertumpu pada politik yang berbasis hak (rights-based politics), seperti dijamin UUD 1945.

Lebih dari itu, pendidikan merupakan investasi jangka panjang untuk kemajuan sebuah bangsa. Sukarno menyebutnya: investasi keterampilan manusia (invesment of human skill).

Amartya Sen mengaitkan pendidikan dengan konsep kapabilitas untuk bisa berfungsi (capability to function), yaitu suatu kondisi yang memungkinkan setiap orang untuk menjadi sesuatu (being) atau melakukan sesuatu yang diinginkannya (doing) sehingga hidupnya lebih bernilai (valuable functionings).

Dalam konsep pembangunan manusia, pendidikan merupakan aspek untuk menaikkan kesadaran, pengetahuan, dan keahlian, sehingga memperlebar kesempatan (opportunities) untuk memajukan kualitas hidup dan masyarakat.

Nah, untuk membuka akses terhadap pendidikan selebar-lebarnya, negara harus turun tangan. Bentuk konkretnya: negara menyingkirkan rintangan biaya lewat program kuliah gratis.

Intervensi lewat beasiswa tidak memadai. Dari data BPS pada 2021, cakupan beasiswa (PIP, beasiswa dari pemerintah pusat, beasiswa dari pemerintah daerah, beasiswa atau bantuan dari lembaga nonpemerintah, dan lainnya) untuk perguruan tinggi hanya 9,60 persen[1].

Skema pinjaman mahasiswa (student loan) juga tak akan menyelesaikan masalah. Skema ini terbukti gagal di AS, yang menyisakan tumpukan utang sebesar 1,6 triliun USD. [2] Untuk Indonesia, dengan jumlah penduduk miskin dan rentan mencapai 70 persen, ditambah kesempatan kerja untuk lulusan sarjana yang sempit, ini akan menjadi malapetaka yang lebih besar.

Jadi, pilihan yang paling tepat adalah program kuliah gratis. Persoalan yang melintang, tentu saja, adalah pembiayaannya.

Berdasarkan hitungan Sonny Mumbunan, peneliti dari Basic Income Lab RCCC Universitas Indonesia, biaya per tahun seluruh mahasiswa strata satu hingga strata tiga dan vokasi berkisar Rp95 triliun.

Anggaran itu tidaklah terlalu besar. Lebih kecil dari anggaran kereta cepat Bandung-Jakarta yang membengkak menjadi Rp 118 triliun. Tidak seberapa dibanding anggaran belanja pegawai yang mencapai Rp416,61 triliun, anggaran pertahanan (Dephan/TNI) sebesar Rp 131 triliun, anggaran kepolisian Rp 107 triliun.

Dengan menunda pembangunan ibu kota baru, negara ini bisa menyimpan anggaran sebesar Rp 460 triliun; cukup untuk membiayai 4 tahun program kuliah gratis. Kita hanya butuh merampungkan birokrasi agar pembiayannya juga lebih kecil.

Jadi, untuk mewujudkan kuliah gratis, kita hanya butuh politik anggaran yang memihak pentingnya pendidikan.

Kalau tak mau mengutak-atik APBN, ada banyak sumber lain yang bisa diupayakan. Kita bisa mendorong reformasi perpajakan untuk memaksimalkan pajak dari kaum kaya. Kita juga bisa menambah kas negara dengan menerapkan penghukuman berupa penyitaan harta koruptor.

Oiya, para pejabat Negara yang kekayaannya bertambah berkali-kali lipat, bahkan di masa pandemi, perlu ditagih komitmen kebangsaannya dengan seruan memotong gaji.  

Tentu saja, ada banyak jalan menuju Roma, ada banyak cara untuk mewujudkan kuliah gratis. Yang diperlukan hanya komitmen politik yang serius disertai langkah politik konkret.

NUR ROHMAT, penulis tinggal di Yogyakarta

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