Complaints on exam fee continues<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Many elementary and junior high schools continue
\nto collect state exam fees from students despite a government
\nprohibition, an official disclosed on Monday.<\/p>\n
The spokesman for the Ministry of National Education, Setiono,
\nsaid all schools, including state, private and Islamic schools,
\nhad been instructed not to collect exam fees from students.<\/p>\n
Setiono said the ministry had threatened administrative
\nsanctions against those schools who defied the new regulation.<\/p>\n
\"Despite our order, we continue to receive complaints from
\nparents about the fees,\" Setiono told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of National Education, the Ministry of Home
\nAffairs and Regional Autonomy and the Ministry of Religious
\nAffairs, in a joint decree dated March 21, provided Rp 161
\nbillion from the state budget to cover the examination fees for
\nstudents across the country.<\/p>\n
The government is paying the exam fees for the more than 6.9
\nmillion elementary and junior high school students in the
\ncountry. The fee is Rp 20,000 for each elementary school student
\nand Rp 23,000 for junior high school student.<\/p>\n
The national exam for junior high school students will take
\nplace from June 5 to June 7, while the test for elementary school
\nstudents will be held from June 11 to June 13.<\/p>\n
Ministry of National Education secretary-general Mahmuri
\nMuchlas was appointed to head the team supervising the
\nimplementation of the government regulation.<\/p>\n
The team has ordered schools to return any exam fees they
\ncollected from students or face sanctions.<\/p>\n
The ministry has opened a hot line to field any complaints
\nfrom students and their parents. People can telephone the
\nministry at 573-3125 and 574-1512, or send a fax to 573-3717. The
\npublic can also mail letters to the ministry at PO Box 10900.<\/p>\n
\"Since the hot line became operational last Friday we have
\nreceived dozens of complaints from many regions,\" said Setiono.<\/p>\n
Separately, the head of the Yogyakarta office of the Ministry
\nof National Education, Sunardjo, said his office had not received
\nany funds to pay for the exam fees, and was unsure when it would
\nreceive the money.<\/p>\n
He said his office had not received clear information about
\nthe government's policy and there was confusion about what to
\ntell parents.<\/p>\n
In Ponorogo, East Java, the head of the local office of the
\nnational education ministry, Sartono, also said his office had
\nnot received any funds.<\/p>\n
Sartono said he told schools in the regency to pay for the
\nexam fees from their own budgets, promising them they would be
\nreimbursed when his office received the money from the
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
\"The schools are expected to use their own money, and when we
\nhave the received the funds I will pay them,\" Sartono said. (bby)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/complaints-on-exam-fee-continues-1447893297",
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