360 school buildings in Brebes need repair

360 school buildings in Brebes need repair

BREBES, Central Java: Some 360 decrepit elementary school
buildings in 17 districts in Brebes regency have been deemed to
be in very poor condition, and hampering the compulsory nine-year
basic education program in the regency.

The head of the local education office, Tarsun, said here on
Thursday that the basic education infrastructure needed an
immediate overhaul as some had not been maintained for 20 years.

Several buildings were also damaged by floods and landslides
that hit several areas in the regency over the last two months.

"The nine-year education program, obligatory for under-15
children cannot be carried unless the school buildings are
rehabilitated," he said, while noting that some schools were
holding their classes in houses and religious buildings.

The chairman of the Brebes legislature, Syarei Abdul Rosyid
expressed his deep concern over the number of schools in such a
poor condition, calling on the local administration to allocate
special funds in the regency's 2003 budget to repair the damaged
school buildings. --JP