RI may lose a generation: UNICEF<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
\nwarned Indonesia on Monday over the possibility of it losing a
\ngeneration of children if the present government failed to
\nimprove their health and education.<\/p>\n
Stephen J. Woodhouse, UNICEF Representative for Indonesia and
\nMalaysia, rang the alarm bell during the release of The State of
\nThe World's Children 2000 report, which states that without
\nimmediate and concrete action Indonesia may be unable to compete
\nwith other countries in the global market due to the inferior
\nquality of its human resources.<\/p>\n
\"If Indonesia wants well balanced competition, it has to
\ndevelop smart, skillful and productive human resources,\"
\nWoodhouse said.<\/p>\n
He said unhealthiness and malnutrition adversely affects
\nchildren's preparations for school and their performance in it.<\/p>\n
\"The school drop-out rate which remains high, especially in
\nthe secondary level, and the poor academic achievement of
\nIndonesian students in general are certainly not things we expect
\nin building a new Indonesia,\" he said.<\/p>\n
On the same occasion, the new Coordinating Minister for
\nPeople's Welfare and Poverty Alleviation Basri Hasanuddin said in
\na speech read by health minister Achmad Sujudi the unabated
\neconomic crisis had caused school attendance rates in the country
\nto fall from 90 percent to 60 percent last year.<\/p>\n
He also said the number of malnourished children rose from 30
\npercent to 35 percent over the same period.<\/p>\n
Sujudi represented Basri, who is accompanying Vice President
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri on her trip to Maluku, Irian Jaya and
\nSulawesi.<\/p>\n
The Bureau of Statistics says there are currently 38.3 million
\nstudents in the country, ranging from elementary to high school.
\nAlmost 25.7 million of them are elementary school students.<\/p>\n
Woodhouse suggested the Indonesian government allocate more
\nfunds in the health and education sectors, which he said are
\ncrucial for the development of human resources.<\/p>\n
Indonesia allocates only 8.5 percent of its current budget for
\neducation and 4 percent for health, far below the between 21
\npercent and 26 percent set by its neighbors Thailand, Malaysia
\nand the Philippines for each of the sectors.<\/p>\n
However, Woodhouse reminded those present any budget hike
\nwould not bear fruits without efforts to improve the performance
\nof state employees who carry out the programs, and changes in
\nstrategy and policies in the two sectors.<\/p>\n
Basri admitted the possibility that Indonesian human resources
\nwere below standard.<\/p>\n
He said President Abdurrahman Wahid's government is seeking an
\nincrease in the budget allocation for children's health and
\neducation.<\/p>\n
Basri said the government has pledged to restore children's
\nhealth and education to precrisis levels.<\/p>\n
He said UNICEF had helped Indonesia increase school attendance
\nrates to 70 percent. (04)<\/p>",
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