Questions surround school renovations<\/p>\n
Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang<\/p>\n
Local officials have allegedly marked up the cost of the projects
\nto renovate and build school buildings here by as much as 100
\npercent.<\/p>\n
The Tangerang municipal administration has allocated Rp 37
\nbillion from its 2003 budget to rebuild or renovate a total of 71
\ndecrepit schools spread across 13 districts in the municipality.<\/p>\n
A building contractor, however, estimated that the projects
\nwould cost less than half of the allocated fund.<\/p>\n
Bambang Sumitro, director of PT Bestindo Sakura, a local
\nbuilding contractor, told The Jakarta Post that the maximum cost
\nrequired to build a square meter of a school building in
\nTangerang is only Rp 750,000.<\/p>\n
\"Of course, such a maximum cost is required to construct a new
\nbuilding with the highest quality of materials. But contractors
\nusually use middle of the range quality for schools and that
\nwould mean only Rp 500,000 for every square meter,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The fund allocated to rebuild junior high school SLTPN 1 is
\nmore than Rp 465 million. It measures 351 square meters, meaning
\nthat each square meter will cost over Rp 1.3 million, a markup of
\nnearly 3 times the cost for an average school building.<\/p>\n
Under the calculation made by Bambang, Rp 263 million would be
\nrequired to build the school with high quality materials, while a
\nbuilding using standard quality materials would require Rp 175.5
\nmillion.<\/p>\n
Another indication of irregularities is seen in the Rp 737
\nmillion allocated to rebuild the 558-square-meter building of
\nelementary school SDN 5 Pasar Baru.<\/p>\n
The real cost of the project with high quality materials is
\nonly Rp 418.5 million, while the cost with standard quality
\nmaterials would be Rp 279 million.<\/p>\n
It is no secret that most state school buildings are built
\nwith low-quality materials. Many of them are now in poor
\ncondition because of that. Part of the roof and walls of at least
\none elementary school here collapsed recently.<\/p>\n
Chief of the municipal education agency Harry Mulya Zain told
\nthe Post that his agency just collected data on damaged school
\nbuildings and then submitted that data to the planning agency,
\nwhich later conducted surveys at schools and totaled up the costs
\nrequired.<\/p>\n
An official at the municipal planning agency, Iid Mahidin,
\ndenied any alleged irregularities in the projects.<\/p>\n
\"We need a lot of money due to the increasing prices of
\nbuilding materials,\" he said.<\/p>\n
This year, there are 62 elementary schools, seven junior high
\nschools, one high school which will be renovated or
\nreconstructed.<\/p>\n
The projects are scheduled to start this month.<\/p>\n
None of principals of the schools, however, were informed
\nabout the renovation funds provided for their respective school.<\/p>\n
\"As of today, I don't know how much the administration had
\nprovided to renovate this school building,\" Yuyun Wahyuningsih,
\nprincipal of elementary school SDN 2 told the Post.<\/p>\n
Both Yuyun and Aryo, principal of elementary school SDN
\nCikokol 1, said that they were just told by the municipal
\nplanning agency officials who visited to take pictures last
\nmonth, that their school buildings would be renovated in March.<\/p>\n
\"It is March now, but there is no sign of any work being done
\nhere. When it rains, I always ask the teachers and students to
\nleave their classrooms because I am afraid that the school roof
\nwill collapse and crush them to death,\" Yuyun explained of the
\ndecrepit condition at his school.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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