Tight control of school exam fee exemption sought<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): School principals have urged the city
\nadministration to ensure that elementary schools are not
\ncollecting money from its students, who are exempted from paying
\ntheir final exam fees, in other forms.<\/p>\n
Muchlis Rangkuti, principal of Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Al
\nWasliyah, a private Islamic elementary school in Kayumanis, East
\nJakarta, told The Jakarta Post recently that he welcomed the
\npolicy of exempting elementary school students from paying the
\nfinal exam fees.<\/p>\n
\"But, has the administration anticipated that schools may use
\nother reasons to collect money from students?\" Rangkuti said.<\/p>\n
\"Schools usually hold a farewell party or picnic after the
\nfinal examinations. Let us presume the school has estimated the
\ncost of a farewell party or picnic per student is Rp 25,000
\n(US$2.50).<\/p>\n
\"The school could ask each student to pay Rp 50,000 instead.
\nSo, this would actually cover the student's exam fees, and the
\nparents would have been deceived,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Although the city administration announced last month that
\nboth state and private elementary school students in the capital
\nwould be exempt from paying this year's state final exam fees, a
\ndecree from the central government to that effect has yet to be
\nissued.<\/p>\n
However, the administration has reportedly allocated Rp 1.3
\nbillion of the city budget to only free state elementary school
\nstudents from the state exam fees, while the fate of private
\nelementary schools is to be decided after the central government
\nissues a decree.<\/p>\n
Rangkuti said it should be up to the administration to decide
\nwhether to treat state and private elementary schools equally as
\nboth institutions have the same function.<\/p>\n
\"Why should the administration wait for the central
\ngovernment's decree to also exempt private school students (from
\npaying the state final exam fees)?<\/p>\n
\"Private schools have helped the administration provide seats
\nfor students who have been rejected by state elementary schools,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
He said Islamic private schools were now using the same
\nuniform as state schools.<\/p>\n
\"The uniform of Islamic school students used to be
\npredominantly green. But now we use the same uniform as the state
\nschools do,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Separately, Yenni Mirmaniza, principal of 01 Srengseng Sawah
\nElementary School in South Jakarta told the Post that her school
\nhad stopped collecting exam fees from students since the city
\nadministration instructed state elementary schools to stop doing
\nso in 1999.<\/p>\n
\"I am afraid of collecting money from students because it is a
\nsensitive issue now. I don't have the heart to do so either,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
She said her school managed to take their students for a
\nfarewell picnic in Puncak, Bogor, last year as one student's
\nparents sponsored the trip.<\/p>\n
\"This school will not collect any money from students other
\nthan the Rp 7,500 monthly school tuition,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Similarly, Sutarti, principal of 03 Srengseng Sawah Elementary
\nSchool in Jagakarsa, South Jakarta, said her school had also
\nstopped collecting fees, other than the school tuition, from
\nstudents since 1999.<\/p>\n
Some parents, however, said different things.<\/p>\n
A mother whose daughter goes to a state elementary school in
\nSouth Jakarta said that as of September last year, the school had
\ncollected Rp 25,000 per month from each student for exam fees.<\/p>\n
\"This includes funds to buy snacks and lunch for the teachers
\nwho are on duty during the exams,\" she said.<\/p>\n
She said that she learned from newspapers and television that
\nstudents would be exempt from the fees. \"But it is all a big
\nlie,\" she said. \"There is no way they will return the money.\"<\/p>\n
\"I asked a teacher about this and she said that the school had
\nnot received any official information about the matter.\"<\/p>\n
According to the City Education Agency a total of 141,742
\nelementary school students will sit for the state final exams
\nslated from June 11 to June 13. They comprise 97,654 state school
\nstudents and 44,088 private school students.<\/p>\n
Jakarta has 2,423 state elementary schools and 2,248 private
\nelementary schools.<\/p>\n
The exam cost of each elementary school student is Rp 18,200
\n($1.91), while that of each Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Islamic
\nelementary school student is Rp 29,000 ($3.05). (01\/sim)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/tight-control-of-school-exam-fee-exemption-sought-1447893297",
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