6,000 more students drop out in Cirebon

6,000 more students drop out in Cirebon

SUMBER, West Java: At least 6000 students in the West Java city
of Cirebon have been forced to drop out of elementary schools
since January due to financial problems and individual values,
local officials said on Tuesday.

The number of dropouts is expected to soar unless the local
authorities take necessary measures to tackle the economic
difficulties of low-income people in the regency, or rethink
school fees for poor people.

Cirebon Regent H. Sutisna confirmed the figures, adding that
the number of dropouts within junior and senior high schools is
also alarmingly high. "But I don't know it exactly."

He said the rising numbers of dropouts were not only
attributed to economic factors but also to the local people's
lack of awareness of the importance of education, and therefore
they did not prioritize it for their children.

"The rural people still believe that attending school is just
a waste of time. Children mostly spend their time working in rice
fields. We have to change such a view," he said.

Sutisna vowed to try his best to provide the Cirebon
population of 1.9 million people with "better" education.--JP