The Effectiveness of the Intergovernmental Relations, Between Proviancial and District Ones, on the Free Education Policy for Elementary and Secondary Schools in South Sulawesi

This paper aims to reveal the intergovernmental relations between provincial and district ones in the implementation of free education policy for primary and secondary schools in the South Sulawesi province. To achieve the objective, the research methodology used a qualitative approach, a case study research. The results showed that the significance of cooperation between governments based on the policy of free education in primary and secondary education improve that the educational quality has not been effective yet in South Sulawesi. The implementation of this policy did not, should provide a wider access of education to the school-age children who have financial problems, reflect the promised result. The political consideration was another reason for the initiation of free education policy as perceived by political elites to disclose their promises during the election campaign in the Regional Government Election (PILKADA). In addition, there were some factors that affected the ineffectiveness of the intergovernmental relations, such as insufficient financial resources, political leadership, organizational and management structure, unavailability of established standards of accountability and transparency mechanisms as well at all levels of governments.