Educators call for drive to help poor children<\/p>\n
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Education analysts proposed on Thursday an intensive campaign
\nto help millions of school age children who were unable to
\ncontinue their education, saying that otherwise a tragedy for the
\ncountry's future generations would ensue.<\/p>\n
Mochtar Buchori, a former researcher with the National
\nInstitute of Sciences (LIPI), said that if the government was
\nunable to develop meaningful programs to help such disadvantaged
\nchildren, society should handle the problem.<\/p>\n
He said informal education systems had thus far been developed
\nby individuals and foundations who cared about the education of
\nstreet children, the children of poor people living in slum areas
\nand children who, along with their parents, were temporarily
\nsheltering in refugee camps.<\/p>\n
"If we can encourage as many individuals and organizations as
\npossible to take part in such informal education programs, it
\nwould be a great help for poor children," Mochtar told The
\nJakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Indra Djati Sidi, the director general of primary and
\nsecondary education, said some 27 percent of school age children
\nbetween seven and 15 years, in all a total of 33.5 million
\nchildren, were unable to continue with their schooling.<\/p>\n
Since 1997, Indra said the government had been forced to
\nabandon "various expansion projects", including the open
\nuniversity system of distance learning, due to the lack of funds.<\/p>\n
The government has allocated Rp 16.1 trillion (US$1.6 billion)
\nas the country's total education budget under the 2002 draft
\nstate budget (including both routine and capital expenditure). Of
\nthis amount, some Rp 11.6 trillion, or 24.7 percent of the total
\ncapital spending proposed in the draft budget, will be earmarked
\nfor education development projects.<\/p>\n
By comparison, this year the total education budget reached
\nabout Rp 11 trillion.<\/p>\n
Legislators have admitted that even though there has been an
\nincrease in the education budget, the additional funds are far
\nfrom enough to ensure an ideal education system.<\/p>\n
"Given that our country is on the brink of bankruptcy, it is
\nup to society to achieve a breakthrough. I think promoting the
\ninformal education sector is the only way of helping students in
\nthis emergency situation," Mochtar reiterated.<\/p>\n
"If there is no breakthrough to help them, it will be a
\ntragedy for our future generations. How can they catch up with
\nthe speed of information technology development over the next 20
\nyears if they don't go to school," he asked.<\/p>\n
Another education analyst, Ace Suryadi, shared Mochtar's view,
\nsaying that society should be encouraged to take part in
\nresolving the problems of education during the present crisis.<\/p>\n
But in contrast to Mochtar, Ace said that the public should be
\nencouraged to establish as many private schools as possible. He
\nsaid that the government had no money to build more schools,
\nparticularly in the case of junior secondary schools.<\/p>\n
The desperate situation, said Ace, had severely affected
\njunior high schools as the government's goal since the crisis
\nerupted in 1997 had been only to persuade those attending school
\nnot to drop out.<\/p>\n
"We need private schools, particularly at the junior school
\nlevel, to accommodate the children who have not been accommodated
\nin the state schools," Ace told the Post by phone on Thursday.<\/p>\n
According to Mochtar, in an emergency situation, an informal
\neducation system would be helpful for poor students whose parents
\ncould not afford school fees.<\/p>\n
Therefore, he expressed gratitude to those who had taken the
\nlead in providing informal education in several areas of the
\ncapital. He was referring to the Sekolah Anak Jalanan (Schools
\nfor Street Children), which have been established by the PaRaM
\nnon-governmental organization.<\/p>\n
He said the government could help promote the informal
\neducation system by researching basic methods for teaching and
\nlearning activities in the informal sector.<\/p>\n
While admitting that the informal sector would only be able to
\nprovide very basic education, including reading, writing and
\narithmetic, it would be enough to help the disadvantaged children
\nget a start in life.<\/p>",
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