Falling school enrollment puzzle Yogya<\/p>\n
Singgir Kartana, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
In the 1970s and 1980s, elementary schools began to spring up
\nin the city. Yogyakarta, known as the \"city of students\" in
\nrecognition as its position as a center of education, saw new
\nschools being built in every regency.<\/p>\n
Now things have reached a turning point. Many of the schools
\nbuilt as a show of then president Soeharto's commitment to
\neducation, have had to close down or merge because there are not
\nenough children to fill them.<\/p>\n
Many people attribute the declining number of pupils each year
\nto the success of the state-sponsored family planning program.<\/p>\n
Over the last two years, more than 138 primary schools in
\nYogyakarta province have been running low on students. The local
\ngovernment has adopted a policy of regrouping or merging the
\nschools in those areas where the number of school-age children
\nhas dwindled.<\/p>\n
Bantul regency holds the record for regrouping, with 107
\nschools being merged into 50. In Sleman regency and Yogya
\nmunicipality, 38 schools have been reduced to 19, including the
\nclosure of three schools which had less than 20 pupils.<\/p>\n
In 2000, Gunungkidul regency's 38 primary schools were merged
\ninto 18, which was followed by the merger of 10 other schools
\ninto five in 2001. There is no available data on school
\nattendance or mergers in Kulonprogo regency.<\/p>\n
Interestingly, the elementary school in Wonolagi village in
\nPlayen, Gunungkidul, currently has only six students, comprising
\ntwo sixth graders, one fifth grader, one fourth grader and two
\nfirst graders. Despite the small number of students, the school
\nhas not been closed because it is the only one in Wonolagi
\nvillage.<\/p>\n
\"Wonolagi would otherwise have no more schools,\" Sulistiyono,
\nthe head of the pedagogy section at Gunungkidul's education
\noffice, told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Different criteria are applied to the merger of meagerly
\nattended schools, according to the regency concerned. In
\nGunungkidul, for example, schools are merged if their students
\nnumber less than 100 each, while in Bantul the minimum number of
\nstudents is set at 150.<\/p>\n
\"The regent has ruled that if schools within one kilometer of
\neach other have less than 150 pupils each, they must be merged,\"
\nexplained Tenang Ngatini, the principal of the Mandingmas I
\nelementary school in Bantul, which has been merged with two other
\nschools.<\/p>\n
Yogyakarta's elementary schools will likely continue to
\ndecrease in number over the next few years. Particularly those in
\nSleman, where there are already plans for more schools to be
\nregrouped next year.<\/p>\n
\"Some 42 schools have been proposed for merger,\" said Kuncoro,
\na staff member of the regency's primary education office.<\/p>\n
Quality factor<\/p>\n
However, some people do not believe that this situation is the
\nresult of the state's family planning program. They believe that
\nthe emergence of private elementary schools, which are seen as
\noffering better-quality educations for their students than state-
\nrun schools, has had a hand in the dearth of students at state
\nschools.<\/p>\n
And the rivalry between private and state elementary schools
\nis heating up. The Islamic elementary school Muhammadiyah I
\nSumbermulyo, for example, is located near another private school,
\nthe Catholic Kanisius Ganjuran, and the state-run Kaligondang and
\nSumbermulyo II schools.<\/p>\n
Of these four elementary schools, Sumbermulyo II is in the
\ndirest condition. It will close down next year because it has
\nfewer than 50 students. The other three will survive because they
\neach have over 150 students. In fact, Muhammadiyah I has for the
\nlast three years rejected new students because its classrooms are
\nalready full.<\/p>\n
\"Regardless of the status or location of a school, as long as
\nit provides a quality education parents will be interested in
\nsending their children there,\" commented Suparsih, a teacher at
\nthe Pertiwi 50 kindergarten in Bambanglipuro, Bantul.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the policy of merging schools eventually will
\ncreate problems regarding the assignment of teachers and the
\narrangement of the assets of merged schools. For the moment, when
\nschools are merged all of the teachers from the schools involved
\nare employed at the main school into which the others were
\nmerged. The furniture from the closed schools is moved to the
\nmain school, and classrooms that are no longer occupied are
\nturned into libraries.<\/p>\n
\"Assets located a long way from main schools or merged ones
\nwill be put under the care of relevant regents. Any party wishing
\nto use these assets must seek a permit from the regents through
\nthe local education offices,\" said Sulistiyono.<\/p>\n
It is hoped that the assets of closed schools will not open an
\nopportunity for corruption by officials. But more importantly,
\nthe policy of merging schools must ensure effective teaching and
\nefficient spending on the part of the school system, in order to
\nenhance the quality of education for our children.<\/p>",
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