Ensuring Service Quality in Education for Indonesia's Sustainable Education

The improvement of educational service quality to create sustainable education is not solely dependent on creating well-designed plans and regulations. Despite the fact that the central government already composed beneficial education plans, there is no guarantee that local government implements them effectively. Thus, implementation is the most essential part of creating sustainable education, specifically in Indonesia. This article reports on a case study of the service quality implemented in primary, secondary and tertiary level of institutions in Tasikmalaya, West Java, Indonesia. This qualitative study was conducted by using observations, interviews and reviews of related documents. The researcher worked with the total of fifty informants consisting of ten informants for each level of education; primary, secondary (Junior and Senior High school), tertiary, and another ten from local government staffs, all were chosen based on purposeful sampling method. The researcher collected information related to the implementation of educational service as instructed by the central to local government then to the educational institutions. The study found that good plans and regulations are not sufficient to deliver the interchangeable educational services to the community. The local government is considered unable to provide the standardized service quality in education as promulgated by the central government. The poor economic condition in Tasikmalaya also contributes to the complexity of educational development there. The research results suggest the significant role of the local governments in responding to educational development planning which is initiated by the central government to achieve well-qualified education. Further, capacity building is proposed to be a solution for promoting responsive local governments.