| The purpose of this paper is to address what are likely the impacts of decentralization on the education service in Bantul, Jogjakarta Province. This paper is based on a case study on the education services in Bantul. It involves the collection, interpretation, analysis, and description of relevant data on educational reforms, program, as well as local policies by using an explorative research method that utilizes documents, numerical records, official publications, and oral statements based on in-depth interviews. This study revealed mixed evidences on impacts of the decentralization on the education sector in Bantul. First, following decentralization, local government obtains flexibility to determine the more appropriate education policies that more fit to the local needs. Second, the school-level actors have greater responsibility and decision-making over school operations as decentralization set up the school-based management (SBM) where the levels of authority is transferred to the school level. It has encouraged schools to be more innovative and independent. Education stakeholders in Bantul claimed that education service has increased, due to various factors, among others, decentralization yields a better position for local government to determine strategic plans and educational policies that are better suited to the conditions and the needs of the region. |