SMP 56 taken over; students study outside<\/p>\n
Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
City public order officers finally occupied the SMP 56 state
\njunior high school building on Jl. Melawai Raya, South Jakarta,
\non Sunday morning after months of dispute, forcing the remaining
\n65 students to start studying on the street on Monday.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of officers entered the school building at around
\n4:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. A school security guard immediately
\ncontacted Nurlaila, a senior teacher at the school, who arrived
\nat the school at 6 a.m.<\/p>\n
The officers pushed her to pack up property belonging to the
\nschool as soon as possible.<\/p>\n
\"When I was packing away our books, the officers started to
\ncart off the chairs,\"said Nurlaila, who has not received her
\nmonthly salary since last December.<\/p>\n
Afterwards, the officers sent Nurlaila and other staffers out
\nand locked the gate from the inside.<\/p>\n
Students later locked the public order officers into the
\nbuilding without food or drink before they were finally released
\nby police officers at around 3:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
The police talked to students, teachers and parents, and also
\naround 200 members of the Indonesian Youth Bull (BMI)
\norganization, which is affiliated to the Indonesian Democratic
\nParty of Struggle (PDI-P). The members said they were at the
\nscene to show their moral support for the students. The assembled
\nprotesters finally agreed to let the public order officers leave
\nthe school building although some mothers jeered angrily at the
\nofficers.<\/p>\n
According to Nurlaila, she will still hold classes on Monday
\neven though the building has been taken over by the city
\nadministration.<\/p>\n
\"There will be 65 first graders divided into four classes. On
\nMonday, five of the 15 teachers will come to teach them,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Students Ana Anjani, 13, and Dian Zulfiani, 13, who watched
\ntheir school being occupied by the public order officers, said
\nthey would attend Monday's classes even if they had to study
\noutside under the scorching sun or in heavy rain.<\/p>\n
\"It's fine for us to study outside. We'll go to school
\ntomorrow,\" Ana said.<\/p>\n
The administration had offered the students and parents the
\nopportunity to continue their studies for free at the nearby SMP
\n12 state junior high school on Jl. Wijaya, South Jakarta. But
\nsome students appear reluctant to do so.<\/p>\n
A mother of a student said that although the public order
\nofficers had taken over the building, she would not move her
\ndaughter to SMP 12.<\/p>\n
\"As far as I can see, the learning process at SMP 56 is going
\nwell,\" she insisted.<\/p>\n
Nurlaila said that she received a faxed letter ordering
\nteachers to vacate the school at 5 p.m. on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\"In the letter, the administration said the eviction was based
\non a letter dated April 12 from the president of the Jakarta High
\nCourt. The letter stated that the land swap deal was valid,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The administration, through the Jakarta Intermediate and
\nHigher Education Agency, entered into a land swap deal with PT
\nTata Disantara in 2000. The deal said that the land in Melawai
\nwould be bartered for a plot of land in Pejaten, South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Some teachers, students and parents opposed to the deal filed
\na civil lawsuit against it, but the South Jakarta District Court
\nrejected their suit last December. The plaintiffs then appealed
\nto the Jakarta High Court, but no decision has been handed down
\nby the court as yet.<\/p>\n
The National Commission for Child Protection (Komnas Anak)'s
\noffice head, Rachma Fitriati, said the administration should
\nconsider the possible psychological impact of their decision to
\nmove the students.<\/p>\n
Kebayoran Baru Police deputy chief Adj. Comr. Suhardjendro
\nsaid that starting Sunday afternoon, officers would be deployed
\nto guard the building.<\/p>\n
\"Nobody, neither students, teachers or administration
\nofficers, will be allowed to enter onto the school grounds until
\nthe administration issues a new directive,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/smp-56-taken-over-students-study-outside-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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