230 elementary school buildings need renovation
JAKARTA (JP): At least 230 of the 2,593 public elementary school buildings in Jakarta are in disrepair and need renovating, an official said yesterday.
"The 230 buildings are mostly in a shabby condition because of a lack of maintenance or due to being old," said an official, who asked for anonymity.
The real figure could be higher as many public school principals have not reported their buildings' condition to the related responsible parties, such as the mayoralties.
Fifty-two elementary schools were renovated last year after all the mayoralties were given special budgets for school renovation programs.
The official admitted that many renovation programs had been delayed due to a lack of funding.
"But we are trying our best to help these schools because we don't want the pupils' learning process to be disturbed by their damaged schools," he said.
Schools with major damage are given priority, he said.
"But it does not mean that the city will ignore others with minor damage," he stressed, refusing to elaborate on the amount of money used to renovate the schools.
"Ask the mayors. It's in each of their education budgets," he said.
The official made the remarks in response to the delay in the renovation of a severely damaged public elementary school in Pulo Gebang, East Jakarta. The school -- SDN 01/16 East Jakarta -- was supposed to have been renovated three years ago.
But without any clear reasons, the East Jakarta Mayoralty delayed the renovation project despite a survey by city's buildings supervision office.
Some reports said East Jakarta Mayor Sudarsono delayed the plan because he thought the school's principal was lazy in regard to maintaining the school.
The mayor said he was now waiting for the school principal "to change his attitude". "If the headmaster acts diligently, the school will be renovated in the 1998/1999 fiscal year," Sudarsono said.
The principal of SDN 01/16, Achmad Sudama, said that he was trying his best to keep the school as clean as possible despite the deteriorating buildings.
"I'm embarrassed because I have told the parents that this school will be renovated soon. But there's been no answer from the mayoralty over this matter," he said.
Pupils' parents have repeatedly expressed concern over the buildings' condition.
"How can our children learn peacefully if there is no secure feeling? The bricks might fall at anytime. We don't want our children to get hurt," Aminah, a pupil's mother, said.
Aminah said she hoped the city administration would pay more attention to the school.
"It's for the sake of our children. Don't give ridiculous reasons to avoid doing what is really needed."
City Councilor Soeparmo, the head of Commission E for welfare affairs, told The Jakarta Post that the renovation must be undertaken soon.
"The mayor's reason to delay the renovation is absurd. What is he thinking about? He should have checked the school himself so he knows that the building needs to be fixed soon.
"I strongly suggest the mayoralty renovates the school because the students' future is at stake here," Soeparmo said.
Prawoto Danumihardjo, the city's assistant for economic and development affairs, said he would soon check on the matter.
"I believe the proposal for the renovation has been received by the municipality. But if for some reason the project is delayed, it's probably because of the lack of funding due to the monetary crisis, nothing else," he said. (edt)