UI students protest costly admission fees<\/p>\n
Theresia Sufa, Depok<\/p>\n
Members of the University of Indonesia's Student Executive Body
\n(BEM UI) blocked the entrances to their campus in Depok, south of
\nJakarta, in protest against the university's current admission
\nfees.<\/p>\n
The first day of their apparently continuing protest action
\nwent off peacefully on Monday. However, there was no change to
\nthe university's stance on maintaining the university president's
\ndecree No. 408 on admission fees between a range of Rp 5 million
\n(US$562) and Rp 25 million effective this academic year.<\/p>\n
Assistant to the deputy rector for student and alumni affairs,
\nErwin Nurdin, made clear that the university needed sufficient
\nfunds.<\/p>\n
\"This is the real issue ... education is expensive. However,
\nUI does pay quite a bit of attention to poor students,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Erwin's superior Aris S. Soesilo said the decree stipulated a
\ndiscount and special payment procedures for poor students.<\/p>\n
\"We provide Rp 3.5 billion in subsidies and another Rp 4.2
\nbillion in scholarships each year,\" he revealed.<\/p>\n
\"I don't think any good student should be afraid to apply to
\nUI because we have mechanisms to ease the fee payment. However, I
\nwill admit that our main focus remains with students from the
\nupper income bracket.\"<\/p>\n
In a bid to grant state universities more autonomy, the
\ngovernment decided to stop giving financial subsidies, which
\nforced the universities to seek their own financial sources, so
\nmost decide to increase the tuition fees and admission fees for
\nnew students.<\/p>\n
BEM UI protested the newest policy which, according to them,
\nhad deterred 27 high school graduates out of 276 they had spoken
\nto, from continuing the process. The BEM said that 162 of the
\nselected students had asked for a discount.<\/p>\n
\"We want the university to be more creative in raising funds,
\nnot just simply passing the burden on to parents. The amount of
\nthe admission fee should be based on how much the parents can
\npay,\" said BEM UI chairman Gari Primananda.<\/p>\n
UI spokeswoman Farida Haryoko said the university expected
\nsome 3,500 new students. The announcement as to which students
\nwill be accepted is set for Aug. 12 and Aug. 13, while the
\nregistration will be held from Aug. 18 to Aug. 20.<\/p>\n
Poor students could apply for discounts by submitting letters
\nof recommendation from subdistrict chiefs, the parents' salary
\nreceipts and electricity bills of the last three months, she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"As for students who got in without tests, many have yet to
\nregister. That also happened in previous years because the
\nstudents didn't feel like they would fit in with the major we
\nchose for them.\"<\/p>\n
Aris hinted at the possibility that people would all claim
\nthey were poor to avoid the costly fees.<\/p>\n
Noted expert on management and UI lecturer Rheinald Kasali,
\nwho was accompanying Aris while talking to reporters, added that
\nthe admission fees were also aimed at maintaining the
\nuniversity's quality.<\/p>\n
\"If UI stayed cheap while more private universities appeared,
\neventually UI will no longer have quality teachers,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ui-students-protest-costly-admission-fees-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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