Unrelenting economic crisis forces children onto the streets<\/p>\n
By Jupriadi<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Anto wiped sweat from his face and bravely
\nwhisked around the slow-moving cars caught in heavy traffic in
\nthe Blok M commercial district in South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"Prabowo has been fired... Prabowo has been fired!\" the 12-
\nyear-old paperboy calls out, brandishing newspapers with eye-
\ncatching headlines that announce the dismissal of Lt. Gen.
\nPrabowo Subiyanto for his alleged role in the recent abductions
\nof political activists.<\/p>\n
Anto, who has hawked newspapers on the streets for six
\nmonths, retreated to the sidewalk when the traffic momentarily
\neased.<\/p>\n
When asked if he attended school, he paused and said, \"I quit
\nschool in August last year because my parents could not afford to
\npay my fees due to the devastating crisis.\" And he jumped back on
\nto the street to hawk his papers.<\/p>\n
Many school-aged children in Jakarta, and probably in other
\ncities, are in the same boat as Anto. With the crisis biting even
\ndeeper since it began in July last year, people's purchasing
\npower has been greatly reduced and prices have skyrocketed.<\/p>\n
Anto's father's health is ailing and the child has to help his
\nmother support the family. His struggling parents are among those
\nwho prioritize basic necessities rather than their children's
\neducation.<\/p>\n
Sugiono, a bajaj (three-wheeled motorized vehicle) driver is
\nexperiencing the same plight. The father of two sons, the eldest
\na fifth grader and the youngest a school beginner, has pulled
\nboth of them out of school.<\/p>\n
The children have left behind their school happy days and
\nentered the world of work. They have become street hawkers and
\nSugiono has to forget his ambition to see his sons become
\ndoctors.<\/p>\n
\"Everybody knows it's a hard time for poor people like me,\" he
\nsaid while waiting for passengers on Jl. Diponegoro, Central
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
The government, apparently well-aware of the impact the crisis
\nis having on school attendance, issued a regulation on June 11
\nthat exempts students at state schools from paying tuition and
\nother fees. New uniforms are no longer mandatory.<\/p>\n
But the well-intentioned policy has been ineffective in
\nencouraging parents to send their children to school, as the case
\nof Anto and Sugiono illustrates.<\/p>\n
Worse still, many schools have ignored the government policy.
\nThere have been persistent reports that many state schools ask
\nparents for various fees as if the regulation did not exist.<\/p>\n
\"I can't remember all the fees we had to pay. Even if the sum
\nis as little as Rp 2,000, the money means a lot to us nowadays,\"
\nsaid Sugiono, who hails from Ponorogo, East Java.<\/p>\n
He recalled that he was required to pay Rp 70,000 (about US$6)
\nwhen his younger son enrolled in elementary school. The sum, he
\nsaid, was ridiculous because his daily income had dropped to Rp
\n30,000 from Rp 55,000 before the crisis. About half of his
\nearnings must be handed over to the bajaj owner. Meanwhile,
\nprices have been soaring almost daily.<\/p>\n
\"People prefer going by bus now because it is a lot cheaper
\nthan traveling by bajaj,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The number of people living below the poverty line has
\ndrastically increased since the crisis began. Statistics released
\nby the Central Bureau of Statistics show that as of July, the
\nnumber of poor people has soared to 80 million from 27.5 million
\nbefore the crisis.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, according to the National Family Planning Board,
\nthe number of poor people has reached 1.4 million -- about 17.7
\npercent of the 9.5 million population. The Central Bureau of
\nStatistics notes that in 1996, poor people in the capital
\nrepresented only 2.5 percent of the then 8.7 million population.<\/p>\n
Sociologist M. Darwis from Hasanuddin University,
\nUjungpandang, who has conducted research on urban poverty,
\npredicts that in another year more and more parents will
\nsacrifice their children's education due to the continuing
\ncrisis.<\/p>\n
\"When they have to choose, a poor family will prioritize food
\nrather than its children's education,\" he says. \"The family will
\nvery likely use the children to help earn a living.\"<\/p>\n
In a poor community, he notes, it is natural for parents to
\nhave their children contribute toward the family's livelihood.<\/p>\n
\"In a crisis like now, it's no surprise that parents will have
\nthem work instead of sending them to school.\"<\/p>\n
If Darwis is right, a substantial number of school-aged
\nchildren will spend their days hawking wares in the streets or
\nworking in the fields or in factories.<\/p>",
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