SMP 56 open for new admissions amid dispute<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The operator of state middle school SMP 56 in Melawai, South
\nJakarta, has opened for new student enrollment while the legal
\ndispute over the property's ownership drags on.<\/p>\n
\"We have opened for new admissions today, but no students have
\ncome to enroll yet,\" Ina Harahap, the school treasurer, told The
\nJakarta Post on Friday.<\/p>\n
The school is waiving tuition and registration fees, and is
\nproviding free school uniforms in order to attract new students.<\/p>\n
\"We will only require Rp 1,000 to cover the costs of the
\nenrollment form,\" Ina said.<\/p>\n
Registration will close on July 11, and admission tests for
\nnew students are set for June 28 and July 12.<\/p>\n
City secretary Ritola Tasmaya deplored the school's move,
\nwhich he considered illegal. Referring to the 2003 law on
\nnational education, he said the school had no license to operate,
\neither from the Jakarta administration or the government.<\/p>\n
Article 71 of the law stipulates a maximum jail sentence of 10
\nyears and\/or a Rp 1 billion fine for offenders.<\/p>\n
Ritola made it clear that any students who enrolled at the
\nMelawai SMP 56 would not receive any academic credit from the
\nadministration.<\/p>\n
\"We have issued a circular to parents notifying them that the
\nlawful SMP 56 is located in Jeruk Purut, South Jakarta, not
\nMelawai. I believe parents will not place their children in such
\na difficult situation,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The Melawai school came under the public spotlight after
\nseveral teachers, students and parents of the school refused to
\nmove to the new Jeruk Perut facility in protest of a 2000 land
\nswap deal between the Ministry of National Education and property
\ndeveloper PT Tata Disantara.<\/p>\n
The company is owned by former manpower minister Abdul Latief,
\nwho proposed to build a business college on the plot, which is
\nnearby Pasaraya Grande shopping mall -- which he also owns.<\/p>\n
In exchange for the Melawai plot, PT Tata gave the government
\nthe Jeruk Purut school and another in Bintaro, which is also in
\nSouth Jakarta but close to the Tangerang border.<\/p>\n
Non-governmental organization Government Watch (Gowa), which
\nis providing financial aid for day-to-day operations of the
\nMelawai school, has alleged the deal smelled of corruption.<\/p>\n
\"We have stepped in to help the school resume its activities,
\nbecause education is a basic right,\" said Gowa chairman Farid
\nFaqih.<\/p>\n
In April, when the Melawai teachers and students resisted
\nclosure, the city administration reported school headmaster
\nNurlaila to the police for conducting \"unlicensed educational
\nactivities\", while the school reported city officials for
\nintimidation and negligence.<\/p>\n
Among the officials named in the complaint are Minister of
\nNational Education Abdul Malik Fajar and Governor Sutiyoso.<\/p>\n
Most recently, Nurlaila filed a complaint on Wednesday with
\nthe police against Jeruk Purut SMP 56 headmaster Agus Bambang
\nover his remarks on a May 9 television program. Agus said she had
\nonce suffered severe depression for two years following the
\nsudden death of her husband in 1999.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/smp-56-open-for-new-admissions-amid-dispute-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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