'Is it worth sacrificing their future?'<\/p>\n
The city administration has issued an ultimatum to the effect
\nthat the 65 students of the SMP 56 state junior high school in
\nMelawai, South Jakarta, will lose formal academic recognition
\nunless they transfer to other designated schools on Wednesday at
\nthe latest. The students of all schools in the city will sit
\ntheir final exams from June 21 to June 26. The Jakarta Post asked
\nsome people for their opinions on the protracted dispute over the
\ncontroversial land swap deal involving the school.<\/p>\n
Razali, 46, is a taxi driver. He lives on Jl. Dewi Sartika,
\nEast Jakarta:<\/p>\n
As a parent, I wouldn't like to see my children studying in
\nthe parking lot instead of in the classroom, as has been
\nhappening to the SMP 56 students. I don't understand why the
\nchildren's parents and teachers insisted on staying in the school
\nbuilding, even though it had been sealed. It was the children who
\nbecame the victims in the end.<\/p>\n
I know from the newspapers that today is the last day for the
\nstudents to move to other schools if they don't want to lose
\ntheir legal status as students.<\/p>\n
I don't know about idealism and education. The thing is, even
\nif they win, the children's future has been put at stake. And
\nthat should not be allowed to happen.<\/p>\n
What they should do is to get more people behind them --
\norganize a pressure group to face down the city administration
\nand the councillors who, I think, should be siding with us, the
\nordinary people, and not the businesspeople. Just leave the
\nstudents alone.<\/p>\n
Linda, 29, is a journalist with the Berita Kota daily. The
\nmother of one child, she lives with her family in Cijantung, East
\nJakarta:<\/p>\n
I'm very sad to see the students get involved in the dispute.
\nI'm a mother, too. Their main job is to study -- not to take to
\nthe streets for rallies. I despise those who have involved them
\nin the dispute, including the people in power who are using the
\ndispute to further their own interests.<\/p>\n
It is common knowledge that our education system is very poor.
\nYou can imagine what will happen to the students if they cannot
\neven benefit from normal teaching at school. They will have no
\nfuture.<\/p>\n
--The Jakarta Post<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/is-it-worth-sacrificing-their-future-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }