Almost 200 schools without desks, chairs<\/p>\n
Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang<\/p>\n
With the sixth graders facing final exams and the new academic
\nyear about to start in July, officials at a state elementary
\nschool in Sepatan district, Tangerang regency, were wondering
\nwhat to do about the classrooms.<\/p>\n
\"We do not have enough desks and chairs ... the teachers and
\nthe students have to sit on the floor in the classrooms,\"
\nprincipal Rostiwie told The Jakarta Post on Monday.<\/p>\n
Only three of the six classrooms at the school were furnished
\nwith chairs and desks, the Post observed.<\/p>\n
Rostiwie said she had most of the desks and chairs removed
\nbecause they were so old and rickety, they posed a danger to the
\nchildren.<\/p>\n
\"We have asked the education agency to send us new furniture.
\nThe administration promised to deliver new desks last year, but
\nwe have yet to see them,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Each classroom in the school should have 20 desks and 40
\nchairs for 40 students, plus one desk and one chair for the
\nteacher.<\/p>\n
Rostiwie's school is not the only one where students are
\nforced to sit on the floor.<\/p>\n
As many as 195 state elementary schools, or 20 percent of the
\n975 elementary schools in the 26 districts in the regency, have
\nfor years been requesting new furniture.<\/p>\n
Yuyus Rusniardi, who is in charge of logistics at the local
\nadministration, acknowledged that the administration did not have
\nthe money to purchase all of the furniture needed by a total of
\n300 classrooms, each of which accommodates at least 40 students.<\/p>\n
\"The administration was only able to allocate Rp 1.7 billion
\nfrom this year's budget to refurbish 176 classrooms. The
\nremaining 124 classrooms have to wait until next year,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Most of the furniture in the regency's schools is old as the
\nbuildings themselves, which were built between 1979 and 1984.
\nMany of the buildings are also in dire need of renovation.<\/p>\n
Regent Ismet Iskandar said the administration needed help to
\nrenovate school buildings and buy new chairs and desks.<\/p>\n
\"Tangerang is home to more than 2,000 industrial firms, but it
\nseems they do not care about the poor educational facilities all
\naround their firms,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Ismet encouraged businesspeople to get involved in empowering
\nresidents living near their factories.<\/p>\n
\"We call on all businesspeople in Tangerang to pay attention
\nto education by donating a little of their profit to renovate
\nschools,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/almost-200-schools-without-desks-chairs-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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