Abstract
This paper is to focus on the situation concerning opportunity and quality in Indonesian basic education by using the Indonesian Family Life Survey data. This survey was implemented by RAND and the University of Indonesia in 1993. One result is pointed out that the variable of average schooling years in a community is important in order to prevent unenrollment at the level of primary education. This variable can be understood as reflecting the recognition of a community as a whole regarding the meaning of basic education. Variables concerning parental education are always significant here, too, and found to be important at the level of lower secondary education, in particular. Alternatively, turning to academic achievement, community factors have more effects in primary schools. On the other hand, many variables concerning school environment can be seen as more significant in lower secondary schools. Still this shows that in order to enhance quality in primary schools, disadvantaged individuals or groups should be the targets of intervention, while it is also important to improve learning environments in schools and the quality of teachers in particular at the lower secondary level. These differences can be interpreted as follows. The primary school has been universalised to nearly its full extent, so pupils with various family backgrounds are enrolled. Thus, individual differences in academic ability or family social and economic status, or the recognition of a community regarding education may decide their academic achievement. On the other hand, lower secondary school is still in the process of expansion, and pupils are screened for entrance. In other words, only pupils from a household with social and economic status to a certain level can be enrolled in lower secondary schools. Thus, the standard of students' academic ability and family background is not so different, and the environment in a school will decide the academic achievement.
