Distribution Pattern of High School and Equivalent Education Facilities in North Penajam Paser Regency

Abstract

Education in the current era is undergoing a significant transformation along with the rapid development of technology and information. In efforts to equalize education, it is clear that schools in urban areas generally have adequate facilities. Conversely, in rural or remote areas, many schools still operate with limited facilities. This study aims to analyze the distribution of educational facilities and the density of high school students in North Penajam Paser Regency. The method used is descriptive quantitative with the utilization of secondary data from BPS, the Ministry of Education and Culture, and the results of plotting location coordinates using Google Maps. Data were analyzed using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), as well as the Nearest Neighbor Analysis (ANN) and Hotspot (Kernel Density) methods. The distribution pattern tends to be clustered, as indicated by the results of the ANN (Average Nearest Neighbor) calculation of 0.628924 and a z-score value of -3.688721. This inequality is also reflected in the still-low residential density in several areas and the distribution of student numbers, with Penajam and Babulu districts having educational facility densities ranging from 0.052 to 0.055, with the highest student density reaching 748 to 1,128 students. This suggests that the level of educational facilities and the number of high school and vocational school students in North Penajam Paser Regency are not evenly distributed.