Vacation means hard work for Muhammad Iman<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The school holidays will mean hard work for
\nMuhammad Iman, 19, who works until late at night after finishing
\nschool each day at SMEA IX Muhammdiyah IX in Kramat Sawah,
\nCentral Jakarta.<\/p>\n
"Vacations do not mean much to me because I do not have any
\nmoney for holidays," said Iman, the eldest of three children of a
\n50-year-old tailor living in Paseban, Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
"Actually, in the coming long vacation I want to study
\ncomputers but do not have enough money. I will probably have to
\nwork in the morning selling newspapers to earn more income before
\ntaking a computer course," Iman said.<\/p>\n
He said his father, who is now often sick, only earned about
\nRp 5,000 (US$2.05) a day, which was not enough to support his
\nfamily of five and pay the Rp 300,000 yearly rent for their small
\nhouse.<\/p>\n
"Often no one goes to my father to give him an assignment for
\na whole day," Iman said. "That means my father does not earn any
\nmoney that day."<\/p>\n
He said that, to help his father support the family, he had
\nbeen working for two years as an office boy at a pharmaceuticals
\ncompany in East Jakarta, while his sister Inung, a secondary
\nschool graduate, worked for a cleaning company.<\/p>\n
"Back from school at 1 p.m., I go home to have my lunch and
\nstudy for about an hour," he said. "I start work at 3 p.m. and
\nfinish at 10 p.m. from Mondays to Saturdays."<\/p>\n
"My salary is Rp 130,000 a month. It is not big money, but I
\nmust use it for my studies and to help my family," he said.<\/p>\n
He said Inung had failed to continue her studies because his
\nparents could not afford the tuition. His youngest sister, Eni,
\nwas studying at a secondary school.<\/p>\n
Iman said he expected to make Rp 3,000 more a day selling
\nnewspapers in the morning in the coming holidays to pay for the
\ncomputer course.<\/p>\n
"Many of my friends are luckier than me. They plan to go to
\nYogyakarta or even Bali for vacation. But it is not my business.
\nMy business is to ensure a better future for me and my family,"
\nhe said, expressing his ambition to make a better living in
\nfuture.<\/p>\n
"I want to continue my studies at a university. I am
\ninterested in accounting because I want to have my own company.
\nBy having enough money, I can buy a house for my parents and pay
\nfor a better education for my two sisters," he said.<\/p>\n
Iman acknowledged that he did not have enough time to study
\nand that it was lucky he had ranked third among the students in
\nhis class.<\/p>\n
"My teachers promised me a scholarship in July if I could
\nimprove my ranking," he said.<\/p>\n
Iman, who takes part in extracurricular student activities,
\nsaid he never felt inferior although he came from a poor
\nfamily. (06)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/vacation-means-hard-work-for-muhammad-iman-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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