Jakarta. A senior government official on Tuesday urged state universities to become more transparent about tuition fees and refrain from unilaterally imposing hikes.

The call came amid recent student demonstrations protesting sharp increases in tuition fees.

Muhadjir Effendy, the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, said state universities cannot impose tuition fee hikes at their discretion.

"There must be a prior agreement between universities and their students and parents before a hike is imposed,” Muhadjir told Beritasatu.com, a sister publication of the Jakarta Globe, at his office in Jakarta.

He said state university management must be “very wise and careful” when making decisions about tuition fees.

"Students and parents must receive prior notice about a planned increase and the percentage of the hike to prevent confusion," Muhadjir said.

The minister added that he could understand if state universities raise tuition fees due to inflation, but he suggested that the increase be imposed on new entrants rather than current students.

"The hike is better imposed on new students. If they agree to attend the university knowing that the tuition fee is higher than before, they don’t feel tricked by the university,” he said.

Recent protests against tuition fee hikes occurred because students felt they were deceived by their campuses, while it’s very unlikely for them to discontinue their education before graduation, he said.