700 schools heavily damaged

700 schools heavily damaged

TANGERANG (JP): At least 700 of a total of 987 state
elementary school buildings in 26 districts of Tangerang regency
are heavily damaged and need immediate renovation, an official
said.

"The Tangerang administration can only allocate Rp 25.3
billion (US$2,976,471) from its annual budget this year for
building renovation. With that sum, only 102 buildings can be
renovated," head of Tangerang Educational Infrastructure Agency
Harun Al-Rasyid told The Jakarta Post in an interview here on
Tuesday.

Harun said such damage was caused by old age, poor quality of
buildings, poor maintenance and natural causes like humidity,
especially for school buildings along Tangerang's northern
coastal area.

However, Harun expressed gratitude over the application of
regional autonomy, which requires the regency administration to
pay more attention to education problems in the area.

He stated that for the 2002 annual budget, 512 schools had
asked the Agency for renovation. "After carrying out surveys, we
selected 76 school buildings that needed total renovation and 262
that required partial renovation," he remarked. (41)

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Focus-Sarinah
Sarinah provides scholarship
JP/3/FOCUS

Sarinah offers
scholarship

JAKARTA (JP): No less than 120 elementary and junior high
school students will be offered scholarships for the current
school year from PT Sarinah, the oldest department store in the
country.

The store, known for its batik and handicrafts, is offering
the scholarships in commemoration of its 39th anniversary and the
country's 56th Independence Day anniversary, which concurrently
fall on Aug. 17.

Sarinah, established on Aug. 17, 1962, was one of the four
landmarks of the capital in the 1960s. It was built on the
initiative of the country's first president, Sukarno, who also
designed its logo. The other three landmarks were Hotel
Indonesia, Senayan Sports Complex -- now called Bung Karno Sports
Complex -- and the National Monument or Monas.

Sarinah is offering the scholarship to needy students living
near the department store on Jl. Thamrin, Central Jakarta. The
scholarship is in the form of school fees for the whole school
year.

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Focus-bus-terminal
Tangerang to have an integrated bus terminal
JP/3/FOCUS

Tangerang to
build bus terminal

Tangerang (JP): The Tangerang administration is scheduled to
start construction of an integrated bus terminal in Poris Plawad
district next month, an official said on Wednesday.

Tangerang Zoning Agency chairman Didi Achmadi Djamhir said
that the Ministry of Finance was expected to approve the budget
for the project later this month.

"The integrated bus terminal will be built on a seven hectare
site and will cost Rp 23 billion (US$2.71 million)," Didi told
The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

He said that the Tangerang administration had allocated a
total of Rp 13 billion from its annual budget, while the
outstanding balance would be obtained from the Asian Development
Bank (ADB).

Didi said the bus terminal was aimed at alleviating traffic
jams in Kalideres, Cikokol and Kebon Nanas. "Once it is
completed, it will be able to accommodate 170 intercity buses, 90
city buses and 106 public minivans," he said. (41)