'Quality of commercial education is questionable'<\/p>\n
High admission fees to enroll at educational institutions have
\nsparked public grievances, while the House of Representatives has
\ncalled for a review of the policy. Some argue that students
\nshould pay more if they want good education, but many parents
\ndisagree, saying that the commercialization of education will
\neventually degrade its quality. Several shared their views with
\nThe Jakarta Post:<\/p>\n
Arie, 48, is an employee with a private company on Jl. Gatot
\nSubroto, Central Jakarta. She lives in Cijantung, East Jakarta,
\nwith her husband and three children.<\/p>\n
School admission fees are now very burdensome for me,
\nespecially as I have three children who must continue their
\neducation this year at junior and senior high schools and
\nuniversity, all at the same time.<\/p>\n
I have paid Rp 7.5 million for my daughter's private junior
\nhigh school enrollment. My eldest son has been admitted to a
\nprivate university that charges more than Rp 10 million. The
\nsecond son is due to enroll at a popular state senior high school
\nthat set admission fees of around Rp 8 million last year.<\/p>\n
Besides, it's seems quite bizarre to ask would-be students to
\nfill in a form stating the salary of their parents, with the last
\ntelephone bill attached.<\/p>\n
I think that the quality of education is questionable when
\nmoney becomes the top priority. The underprivileged, but
\nintelligent student will not be motivated to go to school.<\/p>\n
It would be better to consider students' achievements and
\nintelligence as the substantive criteria.<\/p>\n
Santo, not his real name, 44, is the father of three children
\nwho works as marketing director for a private company in
\nTangerang, Banten. He lives in Gading Serpong, Tangerang, with
\nhis family:<\/p>\n
I had to pay quite a lot for my daughters to continue their
\neducation at private junior and senior high schools.<\/p>\n
For the private junior high school I paid Rp 8 million and the
\nsenior high school Rp 11 million.<\/p>\n
I appreciate that there is no free education now. If we don't
\npay the admission fees, who will pay the teachers?<\/p>\n
It's almost impossible to demand that teachers be
\nprofessional, without paying them appropriately. Loyalty is
\nnothing without welfare.<\/p>\n
I think that most parents are selfish nowadays -- they want
\nthe best education at the lowest cost.<\/p>\n
So, how can schools raise funds if we don't pay for tuition?
\nThe government is financially impotent due the absence of a
\nbudget -- we can't rely on the government now.<\/p>\n
In terms of education, I think both high or low admission fees
\nare relative, anyway.<\/p>\n
Ignas, 31, is an employee with a private company in South
\nJakarta. He lives in Cawang, East Jakarta, with his wife and two
\nchildren:<\/p>\n
As a parent I worry a lot about admission fees, as they will
\nbe far higher next year for my daughter, who is due to start at
\nelementary school.<\/p>\n
I've no idea how I'll earn enough money to finance my
\nchildren's education in the next few years.<\/p>\n
I think the commercialization of education has gone too far.
\nWorse still, the government has failed to provide education
\nsubsidies to help ease the situation.<\/p>\n
I'm afraid that the quality of education will drastically
\ndeteriorate if financial considerations become the top priority,
\nquite apart from the recent curriculum, which is now a burden for
\nstudents.<\/p>\n
Under such circumstances, people will tend to look for
\ninstitutions that are cheap, despite their questionable
\nreputation.<\/p>\n
Many school graduates will not be able to continue their
\neducation and this will increase the unemployment rate.<\/p>\n
-- Leo Wahyudi S<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/quality-of-commercial-education-is-questionable-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }