Legal Literacy- The Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia explicitly mandates that education is a fundamental right of every citizen. From this mandate, the state's obligation to provide the widest possible access to education, from basic to higher education, was born. However, the reality lately, especially regarding the Single Tuition Fee (UKT) polemic, shows a serious disconnection between the constitutional mandate and the implementation of policies in the field. Higher education seems to be an ivory tower that only opens its doors to those who have it, an assumption that should never exist in this country.

The Right to Education and the Forgotten Constitutional Mandate

The OpeningThe 1945 Constitution, in the fourth paragraph, states one of the noble goals of the state:"to educate the nation."This is not just a slogan, but a binding constitutional command. Then, it becomes an irony when the leaders of State Universities (PTN)—institutions that operate with the support of the State Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBN)—easily raise the UKT. Excuses such as rising prices of basic necessities sound discordant and not comparable to the impact that arises. Ostensibly, raising the UKT is an act that directly limits the right of citizens to access higher education.The government needs to reviewthis policy in depth, because every individual, regardless of their economic background, has the same right to pursue the highest possible education.