Paper price hike hurts children<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Next month's rise in the price of newsprint,
\nprominent intellectuals warn, will not only push up book prices
\nbut threaten the reading habits and ultimately the education of
\nIndonesian children.<\/p>\n
Poet Taufik Ismail and educator J. Drost said in a separate
\ninterviews with the Jakarta Post that the price rise from the
\npresent Rp 1,320 per kg undoubtedly will have a significant
\nimpact on education.<\/p>\n
"Any price increase in newsprint will no doubt increase book
\nprices because many books are printed on newsprint. This (planned
\nhike) certainly will not encourage the reading habits of
\nchildren, which is already very weak now," said Taufiq.<\/p>\n
The Association of Indonesian Pulp and Paper Producers has
\nsaid that production costs for newsprint have increased due to
\nthe steady hike in the prices of scrap paper, which is the main
\nraw material of newsprint.<\/p>\n
Newsprint prices escalated from Rp 1,170 (53 U.S. cents) per
\nkilogram last August to Rp 1,270 for the September-December
\nperiod and went up again to Rp 1,320 per kg for the January-March
\nperiod.<\/p>\n
The government has, on various occasions, made it public that
\nthe price will be "adjusted" next month but it has not specified
\nthe new price.<\/p>\n
Taufiq, a well-known poet and writer, said the plan was
\nespecially bad news for the promotion of literary works, which
\nare already in a sad state due to a lack of public interest and
\nthe "modern" threats of electronic media.<\/p>\n
"For the past 20 years or so secondary high-school students
\nhave graduated with less and less knowledge of literature. If
\nbook prices go up, what more can we expect of them?" he asked,
\nadding that much literature is also printed on newsprint.<\/p>\n
As a parent, he said, he personally is not discouraged because
\nhe wants his children to enjoy reading and literature as much as
\nhim.<\/p>\n
"But this is a very personal choice and we can't expect all
\nparents to be like me," he said.<\/p>\n
Drost pointed out the need to carry out a thorough study on
\nwho, or which group in society, would significantly be effected
\nby the increase.<\/p>\n
He said that even if the planned price hike causes school
\ntextbooks -- which mostly use newsprint -- to become more
\nexpensive, it would be of little concern for "wealthy" private
\nschools, which compel their students to buy the books.<\/p>\n
"Even now, it's clear that those who can afford to buy books
\nare people from well-to-do families. They will not mind a price
\nincrease," he said.<\/p>\n
"But if everyone, including the less well-off private schools,
\nare required to buy the books, then it will become a problem
\nbecause not everyone can afford them," he said.<\/p>\n
Concern with the planned newsprint price hike has also been
\nvoiced by Nur Ahmad Fadhil Lubis, a lecturer at the North Sumatra
\nState Institute for Islamic Studies.<\/p>\n
He was quoted by Antara as saying that a hike could widen the
\n"information gap" between those who can afford the books and
\nprinted media and those who cannot.<\/p>\n
"This may establish a sort of elite group in society which has
\nexclusive access to information. It will certainly not support
\nefforts to educate the people who need wide access to
\ninformation," he said.<\/p>\n
Lubis said that to avoid the emergence of such "elite groups",
\nthe government should continue giving value-added tax subsidies
\nto publications which have an educational mission, such as school
\ntextbooks.<\/p>\n
But chairman of the Indonesian Book Publishers Association
\nRozali Usman has another reason to be pessimistic about the low
\nsale of books.<\/p>\n
"It's not that books are expensive in Indonesia. The fact is
\nthat not many people are interested in spending their money on
\nbooks," he lamented. (pwn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/paper-price-hike-hurts-children-1447893297",
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