Wardiman downplays school fee hikes<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Education and Culture Wardiman
\nDjojonegoro countered queries yesterday on hikes in public school
\nfees by calling them just another case of legal loopholes being
\nexploited.<\/p>\n
\"How come you all make such a big fuss when a school is
\nexpensive? You never do that when parents buy expensive Kijangs,\"
\nWardiman told journalists who had tried to question him on the
\nhikes.<\/p>\n
They tried to question the minister after legislators in House
\nCommission IX on religion, education and sports had raised the
\nissue of school fee hikes during a hearing with him.<\/p>\n
\"The regulations are clear enough. Such levies are illegal but
\nI admit there are parties who take advantage of the regulations'
\nloopholes,\" he said without saying what the government intended
\nto do about it.<\/p>\n
He said that if parents were asked to pay such fees they
\nshould report them to the proper authorities.<\/p>\n
The official entrance fee for Jakarta high schools is Rp
\n45,000 (US$18.75), excluding monthly tuition. Parents may also be
\nasked to pay a maximum additional fee of Rp 60,000 ($25) for
\ntheir uniform.<\/p>\n
But in practice these fees can multiply several times.<\/p>\n
Golkar legislator Marsetio Donoseputro recounted her own
\npersonal experience: \"I have a chauffeur who cannot enroll his
\nchild at a high school because of the choking levies. When I
\nchecked with the schoolmaster he said that a student should pay
\nRp 500,000 ($208.3) before entering. And this is common in every
\npublic senior high school in Jakarta.\"<\/p>\n
Legislators at the hearing also took a sharp look at the
\ngovernment's superior schools program in remote areas.<\/p>\n
Legislators warned that superior schools, originally designed
\nfor talented children, such as one in Abepura, Irian Jaya could
\nbe problematic.<\/p>\n
Willem Maloali of the Golkar faction warned that the public
\nhigh school in Abepura had negative political side effects.<\/p>\n
\"I do not agree with the existence of a superior school in
\nIrian. In my opinion, we should first concentrate on lifting up
\nthe quality of regular schools,\" said Willem, an Irianese
\nreverend.<\/p>\n
Willem indicated that the rigid selection for entry to the
\nschool \"could lead to nepotism and favoritism\".<\/p>\n
The school, SMUN 2 Abepura, in Merauke regency, on the eastern
\ntip of Irian Jaya, 10,000 km east of Java, has superb educational
\nfacilities including student dormitories.<\/p>\n
But it sharply contrasts with the condition of other schools
\nin the province.<\/p>\n
\"It would be better to establish free-of-charge schools than
\nsuperior schools. That's more like Pancasila,\" Willem said.<\/p>\n
Golkar legislator Sutari Imam Barnadil also criticized the
\nAbepura school which she visited earlier this year.<\/p>\n
\"The buildings are impressive but I think it is the only thing
\nbeing considered. There seems to be no attention to the handling
\nof the students staying in the dorm. I arrived at about 2 p.m.
\nand what I saw were students dozing around without any
\nsupervision,\" she said<\/p>\n
Minister Wardiman defended the program saying he would like to
\nsee \"all schools be superior schools. But we can't do it in one
\nstroke. We have to go one by one. We want the best students to be
\ngiven a chance.\"<\/p>\n
After the hearing Willem told The Jakarta Post that he was
\nunsatisfied with the minister's explanation. \"I do not want to
\nsee the Irian community fall into class distinctions. The
\nsuperior school in Irian will definitely have negative impacts on
\nthe unity,\" he said. (35)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/wardiman-downplays-school-fee-hikes-1447893297",
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