When Distance Determines the Future: Spatial Justice and Access to Secondary Education in the Sangihe Islands

Abstract

Geographical distance remains a significant but frequently underestimated determinant of educational opportunity in archipelagic regions. While national education policies generally establish universal standards of access, students living on remote islands may experience substantially different educational opportunities because of transportation costs, school availability, weather conditions, and uneven infrastructure. This study examines spatial justice in access to secondary education in the Sangihe Islands, North Sulawesi. The research explores how geographical isolation interacts with household socioeconomic conditions and public education provision to shape students’ educational trajectories. A qualitative case study approach is employed, combining policy analysis with interviews with students, parents, teachers, and local education stakeholders. The study uses spatial justice as its primary analytical framework, emphasizing accessibility, territorial equity, and the distribution of educational resources. The analysis suggests that treating geographical distance as a neutral factor obscures the unequal burdens experienced by students in island communities. Equal provision of school services may therefore produce unequal outcomes when transportation and geographic conditions differ substantially. The study argues for place-sensitive education policies that incorporate transportation support, flexible school organization, residential learning facilities, and differentiated resource allocation. Such measures are necessary to transform formal equality of educational provision into substantive equality of educational opportunity.