A Critical Analysis of the Implications of the Policy on Higher Education Institutions as Legal Entities for Access to Education and Social Justice in Indonesia - Critical Literature Review

Sep 10, 2026

Uploaded by James

Higher education plays a strategic role in promoting social mobility and equal opportunity; however, policy transformation through State Universities with Legal Entity status (PTN-BH) has introduced new dynamics in the relationship between institutional autonomy, access to education, and social justice. This study critically examines the construction of the PTN-BH policy and its implications for access to higher education and social justice in Indonesia. Using a qualitative Critical Literature Review of journal articles indexed in SINTA and Scopus (2018–2025), findings show hybrid governance and selective inclusion shaped by economic capacity, which risks reproducing social inequality without effective redistributive mechanisms.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

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Abstract

Introduction

PTN-BH policy and institutional autonomy

Financial autonomy and access barriers

UKT and independent admission mechanisms

A Critical Analysis of the Implications of the Policy on Higher Education Institutions as Legal Entities for Access to Education and Social Justice in Indonesia Rizki Gagah Perkoso1, Dedy Hartanto2, Juliansyah3, Widyatmike Gede Mulawarman4, Akhmad5 1,2,3,4,5Mulawarman University, Samarinda [1](1rizkiperkoso31@gmail.com)[rizkiperkoso31@gmail.com](1rizkiperkoso31@gmail.com), [2](2 dedyhartanto01@admin.sd.belajar.id)[ dedyhartanto01@admin.sd.belajar.id](2 dedyhartanto01@admin.sd.belajar.id), [3](3 julighani60@gmail.com)[ julighani60@gmail.com](3 julighani60@gmail.com), [4](4 widyatmike@fkip.unmul.ac.id)[ widyatmike@fkip.unmul.ac.id](4 widyatmike@fkip.unmul.ac.id), [5](5 akhmad@fkip.unmul.ac.id)[ akhmad@fkip.unmul.ac.id](5 akhmad@fkip.unmul.ac.id) | ARTICLE INFO | | ABSTRACT
Higher education plays a strategic role in promoting social mobility and equal opportunity; however, policy transformation through State Universities with Legal Entity status (PTN-BH) has introduced new dynamics in the relationship between institutional autonomy, access to education, and social justice. This study aims to critically examine the construction of the PTN-BH policy and its implications for access to higher education and social justice in Indonesia. The study employs a qualitative approach using a Critical Literature Review (CLR) design, analyzing journal articles indexed in SINTA and Scopus from 2018 to 2025. The analysis is conducted through a semi-systematic literature selection process, thematic coding, and critical synthesis, guided by the frameworks of distributive justice, the capability approach, and social reproduction theory. The findings indicate that the PTN-BH policy reflects a shift from state-centered governance to market-oriented governance, resulting in a form of hybrid governance. While institutional autonomy encourages funding diversification, it simultaneously increases educational costs and reliance on student contributions. This condition leads to a pattern of selective inclusion, in which access to higher education remains formally open but is substantively filtered by economic capacity. Furthermore, the policy contributes to the reproduction of social inequality, as financial resources increasingly determine access to higher education. Overall, the PTN-BH policy reveals a structural tension between efficiency and social justice. Without adequate redistributive mechanisms, this policy risks reinforcing stratified access and shifting the role of higher education from a vehicle of social mobility to a mechanism of inequality reproduction. Therefore, policy reformulation is required to balance institutional autonomy with the principles of social justice in order to achieve a more inclusive and sustainable higher education system. | | --- | --- | --- | | Article History: | | | | Received
Revised
Accepted Online | : 27-04-2026
: 26-06-2026
: 01-07-2026
: 10-07-2026 | | | Keywords:
Access to Education; Social Justice,; PTN-BH. | | | | | | | | | |
This is an open access article under the CC–BY-SA license | —————————— ◆ —————————— A. INTRODUCTION Higher education constitutes an integral component of the national education system, playing a strategic role in enhancing the quality of human resources, promoting social mobility, and reducing socioeconomic inequality. Within the framework of a welfare state, access to higher education is recognized not merely as an individual aspiration but as a constitutional right that should be guaranteed by the state. Nevertheless, empirical evidence indicates that access to higher education in Indonesia remains highly unequal, with participation strongly influenced by household socioeconomic status, geographical location, and educational opportunities available during earlier stages of schooling (Salim et al., 2024; Muttaqin, 2018; Rosser, 2023) . One of the most significant policy reforms in Indonesian higher education has been the establishmen

FAQs

What is the main focus of the study about PTN-BH policy?

The study critically examines how the PTN-BH policy is constructed and what it implies for access to higher education and social justice in Indonesia.

How does the PTN-BH policy affect educational access according to the findings?

The policy is linked to higher educational costs and a pattern of selective inclusion, where access remains formally open but is substantively filtered by economic capacity.

Why does the paper argue that PTN-BH may reproduce social inequality?

As financial resources increasingly determine access through tuition-related burdens and student contributions, disadvantaged groups face greater barriers, reinforcing stratified participation.

Sep 10, 2026

Uploaded by James