Administration to merge 200 elementary schools<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The city administration will soon merge about
\n200 state elementary schools which have a scarcity of students,
\nan official said yesterday.<\/p>\n
Deputy head of the city's teaching and education office, Gito
\nPoernomo, said the decision to merge the schools was taken
\nbecause they failed to meet the official requirement for a school
\nto accommodate at least 100 students.<\/p>\n
Under the plan, which is aimed at improving efficiency in the
\nteaching and learning process, students and teachers of schools
\nto be merged will be transferred to the nearest state school in
\ntheir area, he said.<\/p>\n
He said the schools to be most affected by the mergers would
\nbe schools with afternoon classes.<\/p>\n
\"The students and teachers will not lose anything. They
\ninstead will be able to intensify the learning process and
\nmaterials given in morning classes,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Gito said the students would be expected to spend a couple of
\nhours after school on vocational studies, which were unavailable
\nat schools with afternoon classes.<\/p>\n
The 200 elementary schools to be merged included 60 schools in
\nCentral Jakarta, 65 in South Jakarta, 40 in East Jakarta, 30 in
\nWest Jakarta and one in North Jakarta, said Gito.<\/p>\n
He said some of the 200 schools might not be merged if there
\nwas only one school in an area.<\/p>\n
The 200 schools used to accommodate over 100 students each,
\nbut the number dropped when the effects of the economic crisis
\nstarted to set in.<\/p>\n
Many students quit school because their parents could not
\nafford the tuition fees, said Gito without giving data.<\/p>\n
He said that after the mergers, several school buildings would
\nbe left empty and therefore demolished to make way for other
\nbuildings.<\/p>\n
Gito gave no details on what buildings would be built, only
\nthat the land would be used for other purposes.<\/p>\n
Some of the school buildings to be affected by the plan are
\ncurrently used by two different school managements in the morning
\nand afternoon respectively, he said.<\/p>\n
The administration merged 35 schools in the first five months
\nof this year, he said. They consist of six in East Jakarta, nine
\nin South Jakarta and 10 in each Central and West Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Gito also said his office had suggested that the governor
\neliminate the collection of levies on state elementary school
\nentrance fees.<\/p>\n
\"We hope that the governor will agree to eliminate the fees
\nbecause it would help parents, especially during this time of
\ncrisis,\" he said. (cst)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/administration-to-merge-200-elementary-schools-1447893297",
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