AN EVALUATION OF THE SCHOOL OPERATIONAL ASSISTANCE (BOS) POLICY AND ITS EFFECT ON TEACHER PERFORMANCE IN INDONESIA

Abstract

This study examines the correlation between student's perceptions of teacher's performance and schools' receipt of operational assistance funds (BOS) in Indonesia. It employs the Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET) method, combining both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Data were collected in two provinces with disparate levels of economic development. This study supports H1, indicating a significant (though small) correlation between schools' receipt of operational assistance funds and teachers' perceived performance. Interestingly, regression analysis found that a Rp 1 million increase in school operational assistance funds reduced perceived performance by 0.01; in other words, the more assistance received by schools, the lower the teachers' performance. Qualitative findings indicate that this phenomenon may be attributed to the program's rigid administration system, which curtails innovation (including in matters of teacher performance) and delays in budget disbursement. The results of this study are helpful for the government in redesigning BOS funds to be more effective in encouraging teacher performance as street-level bureaucrats who provide direct education services in schools.