5,000 fail to enroll at high schools

PURWAKARTA, West Java: About 5,000 elementary school graduates in Purwakarta, West Java, failed to pursue higher education in 2002 due to the limited capacity of junior high schools to accommodate students, Purwakarta legislature Commission E chairman Juhara said Thursday.

He said a large number of graduates coming from low-income families had also been forced to work to help their parents earn a living.

"The limited capacity at all junior high schools and the poor state of the economy had played major parts in preventing elementary student graduates from continuing their education," he said.

According to the Purwakarta education office, only 9,000 of 14,000 elementary school graduates in 2002 went to junior high schools.

The education office is constructing two high school buildings in Purwakarta to address the shortage. --Antara

Attorney to probe ADB consultants

KENDARI, Southeast Sulawesi: At least six consultants of school projects funded by the Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) are currently under investigation by local prosecutors for alleged corruption.

Assistant district attorney Antonius Sudiarto said on Thursday that the investigation of the consultants would help solve alleged corruption by La Wilis, now detained in a Kendari jail.

Wilis is accused of misusing Rp 17 billion (US$1.9 million) of ADB funds in 2001, causing losses to the state of Rp 300 million.

The six consultants are Mujiman, Nurul Yusuf, Nugraha, Agung Hariyanto, Saeful and Maskur.

The consultants had told investigators that their contracts ended in December 2001, when the projects were only 70 percent completed.

"Even if their contracts have expired, they must finish constructing the school buildings," Antinius said.

It was not immediately clear about the number of school buildings or value of school projects the consultants were involved in. --Antara

;JP;AAH ANPAa..r.. Sumut Fair-Relocation Sumut Fair to have new site JP/5/5ACROSS1

Sumut Fair to be relocated

MEDAN, North Sumatra: The 32nd annual North Sumatra Fair, more commonly known as the Sumut Fair, will be relocated to the former entertainment resort of Tapian Daya, Medan.

The fair, which will start on May 9, 2003, is designed to promote local and international products.

Preparations at the new site are expected to be completed by the end of April.

Rizal Nurdin, Governor of North Sumatra, had urged the Sumut Fair Foundation to prepare this year's fair professionally.

He hoped that during the fair all regencies and municipalities would be able to market their regional products.

The new site covers an area of about five square hectares. --Antara

;JP;AAH ANPAa..r.. Regional Budget-Lampung High court plans to probe corruption case in Lampung JP/5/5ACROSS2 This story makes no sense. What does follow mean and it can't be investigate because courts don't investigate, they only hear cases. It must be resent to check desk once reedited. Court to probe Lampung corruption case

BANDAR LAMPUNG, Lampung: The Lampung District Court plans to follow corruption involving billions of rupiah from the province's 2001 budget.

Lampung District Court head I Putu Kusa said on Thursday that his office would follow any corruption allegations reported by the Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP).

"There is no reason for the court to refuse investigating the cases if the audit by BPKP is valid," he said.

In its report, BPKP discovered several irregularities totaling Rp 9.5 billion (US$1.06 million) in the Lampung regional budget.--Antara

Registration form shortage in Riau

PEKANBARU, Riau: The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reported on Thursday that the oil-rich Riau province was short of 300,000 voter registration forms.

"We have asked the General Elections Commission (KPU) to send us some more forms, which they had failed to do," said Abdul Rahman, head of BPS for Riau.

He said it had been duplicating the remaining forms itself in a bid to speed up the registration process, which will end on April 30.

Rahman said about 51 percent of the total population in Riau had been registered. --Antara

Prabumulih's mayoralty race date set

PALEMBANG, South Sumatra: According to a city official, the elections for mayor and deputy mayor of Prabumulih will be held next week on April 22.

Official Adil Haitami said on Thursday that three pairs would compete for the positions. They are Noviarman Kailani and Sondi Sananduro, Rachman Djalili and Yuri Gagarin, and Sujiadi and Ahmad Azidin.

Adil said all candidates had passed a strenuous process before being nominated.

He also assured the public that the election process would conducted properly.--Antara