Govt to provide schooling for child workers<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government will launch next month a program
\nto provide schooling for children who have to work to supplement
\ntheir parents' income, the Ministry of Education and Culture
\nannounced yesterday.<\/p>\n
The government will run special elementary and junior high
\nschool classes for child workers, the director general for
\nextracurricular education, youth and sports, Soedijarto, said.<\/p>\n
Initially, three such schools will be opened, one each in
\nSouth Sulawesi, West Java and East Java, he said during an
\nannouncement on the government's activities for International
\nLiteracy Day next Monday.<\/p>\n
The program, a joint endeavor with the International Labor
\nOrganization (ILO), is part of a government drive to eradicate
\nilliteracy in the country by the year 2000, he said.<\/p>\n
The illiteracy rate in Indonesia is officially put at 12.6
\npercent of the population aged 10 years and above.<\/p>\n
Child labor is defined as children working like adults, paying
\nfor their own economic or family's needs, not just children
\nearning pocket money.<\/p>\n
The government has denied foreign accusations that Indonesia
\nhad a major child labor problem, saying that children were
\nworking to help their parents and the phenomena was not the same
\nas how Western countries define child labor.<\/p>\n
However, an ILO report says that 9.55 percent of Indonesian
\nchildren between 10 and 14 years old work. This means Indonesia
\nhas as many as five million child workers, including 400,000 in
\nJakarta, many of whom are subjected to dangerous chemical and
\nbiological hazards.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has made schooling free for all children between six
\nand 15 years old under the nine-year compulsory education
\nprogram.<\/p>\n
However, Soedijarto said the government could not force
\nchildren to go to school if parents wanted them to work to
\nsupplement the family's income. (09)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-to-provide-schooling-for-child-workers-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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