Students, parents concerned over fees<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta\/Bogor\/Bandung<\/p>\n
Sumarni, 51, wants nothing but the best for her eldest daughter
\nImsak Sukmawati -- who hopes to study law at Gadjah Mada
\nUniversity -- but money is an obstacle.<\/p>\n
\"I was unable to pay the Rp 10 million (US$1063) admission fee
\nby today (Friday last week), the last day I had to pay the fee.<\/p>\n
\"Had the university waived the admission fee, I would have
\nbeen able to pay the rest of the fees,\" said Sumarni, who visited
\nthe UGM on Friday to request special consideration for her
\ndaughter's case.<\/p>\n
Sumarni -- a sports teacher at Sragen Senior High School 3 in
\nSragen -- said she had saved over Rp 2 million to pay for Imsak's
\neducation, which was no easy task as her salary is low and her
\nhusband was laid off after the economic crisis.<\/p>\n
\"If the university refuses to assist us, my daughter will be
\nunable to continue with her education,\" said Sumarni.<\/p>\n
Imsak, 19, who accompanied her mother, said she would probably
\nseek a job and maybe study part-time at university.<\/p>\n
Sugiono, 19, of Kendal in Central Java, was accepted to study
\npolitical and social sciences at the UGM.<\/p>\n
He said, when he sat his university entrance test in the
\nCentral Java capital of Semarang, he had not been notified of the
\nadmission fee.<\/p>\n
\"I was surprised when I was told this morning that I had to
\npay an admission fee of Rp 5 million,\" said Sugiono. The
\nadmission fee varies depending on the student's entrance test
\nscore, and can be as high as Rp 20 million.<\/p>\n
Sugiono said his father earned little as a farmer and couldn't
\npay the fee. On the same day, Sugiono approached the UGM student
\nbody, hoping that it could assist him. As of last Friday, 13
\nparties had approached the student body seeking special
\nconsideration.<\/p>\n
Assistant to UGM's deputy rector for students and alumni Eddy
\nO.S. Hiariej said that the university would make a particular
\narrangement for those parents who were unable to pay the
\nadmission fee.<\/p>\n
He said that the deadline to pay the admission fee had been
\nextended until Tuesday (Aug. 24).<\/p>\n
\"If they really can't pay, they must provide evidence of their
\nfinancial status. Only then will we discuss whether we can grant
\nthem dispensation,\" said Eddy.<\/p>\n
Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB), on the other hand, has
\nalready promised poor students dispensation.<\/p>\n
Siti M, an IPB student, for example, was told she wouldn't
\nhave to pay the admission fee, while her tuition fees and other
\nexpenses for first semester were reduced to Rp 850,000 from Rp
\n1,775,000, after she showed a letter from her subdistrict office
\nstating she is from a poor family.<\/p>\n
Similar to the IPB, Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) is
\nassisting poor students by providing booths X1 and X2, through
\nwhich students can request special consideration, or payment
\nplans tailored to their needs.<\/p>\n
\"Some have asked to pay their fees in stages. Others have
\nasked that their fees be waived,\" said Adang Surahman, deputy ITB
\nrector for students and academics.<\/p>\n
Adang said the institute implemented a cross-subsidy scheme to
\nassist poor students. He said, this year, the ITB accepted some
\n530 out of a total 2,800 students through the scheme. Those
\nstudents are admitted to the institute but have to pay Rp 45
\nmillion each on average. \"From the scheme, we have collected more
\nthan Rp 23 billion. This enables us to waive the tuition fees of
\n500 students, up from 50 students last year,\" said Adang.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/students-parents-concerned-over-fees-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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