Legislators question education officials<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Legislators questioned Ministry of Education and
\nCulture officials on Monday over concerns that education was
\nbeing exploited for business opportunities.<\/p>\n
During the hearing, legislators raised the issue of school
\nbook prices and the fact that universities were increasingly
\nopening up extension programs to rake in more revenues.<\/p>\n
Cahyono HS of the House of Representatives' Armed Forces
\nfaction questioned the high price of school books for students in
\nrural areas. \"Would this have any relation to reports of
\ncorruption, collusion and nepotism in school book publishing?\"
\nanother member asked.<\/p>\n
During a break, Indra Djati Sidhi, the ministry's director
\ngeneral for basic and middle education, said it was \"impossible\"
\nthat school book bids were rigged \"because every bid is held
\naccording to official procedures\" and each had its own code.<\/p>\n
On Monday, Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW), a government
\nwatchdog, estimated that Rp 400 billion, or 30 percent of the
\nWorld Bank's Book and Reading Interest Project funds to Indonesia
\nhad gone unaccounted for. The project targets high school
\nstudents and has been scheduled to run from 1996 to 2000.<\/p>\n
ICW, coordinated by Teten Masduki, said the ministry's bid
\nmechanism was to blame for the leakage in funds.<\/p>\n
\"We demand that the World Bank postpone its funds for 1998
\nuntil the leakage can be further investigated,\" ICW said.<\/p>\n
It alleged that corruption within the ministry had forced book
\nprices to increase by as much as 30 percent above normal prices.
\nSchool books are also very poorly produced, ICW said.<\/p>\n
The books to be screened in the bid mechanism, ICW charged,
\nhad already been determined by the ministry based on a
\nrecommendation by the national committee in charge of evaluating
\nhigh schools. \"Usually a quota for each of the books is divided
\nequally (among selected publishers) in line with an agreement
\nwith the ministry,\" ICW said.<\/p>\n
Indra argued, however, that the bidding process was jointly
\nsupervised by the ministry and the World Bank.<\/p>\n
\"Qualifications from the World Bank for publishers to win the
\nbid include the value of the book, the distribution network and
\nthe price,\" said Indra.<\/p>\n
Wiyoto Nursahid of the United Development faction, asked about
\nthe requirements and qualifications for universities wishing to
\nset up extension programs, a new source of additional income to
\nmost of the country's 76 state universities.<\/p>\n
Bambang Soehendro, director general of advanced education,
\nadmitted that many extension courses had been set up without
\nlegal permits. He said a few of the programs, however, had closed
\ndue to a lack of facilities, including forestry and nursing
\nprograms at Medan's North Sumatra University. (01)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/legislators-question-education-officials-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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