8.5 million children drop out, face school dropout this year
8.5 million children drop out, face school dropout this year
JAKARTA (JP): An estimated 8.5 million children of elementary
and junior high school age in Indonesia have either already
dropped out or are likely to drop out of school this year, the
National Movement of Foster Parents Foundation (GN-OTA
Foundation) revealed on Wednesday.
The Foundation's chairperson Inten Soeweno said that "most of
these children are victims of the prolonged crisis and riots
which have hit the country in recent years".
Her remarks, made during a briefing with representatives of
local administrations, were also aimed at attracting public
attention and sponsorship for the plight of Indonesia's young.
"The number of foster parents has dropped sharply since the
crisis and we badly need help to save these children. They at
least have to pass elementary education so they can read, write
and count," said Inten, who was minister for social welfare from
1993 to 1998.
First established in 1996, the Foundation's work focuses on
collecting and updating data regarding poor and uneducated
children, which is then distributed to foster parents who can
finance their education.
"We have accurate data on these children. The data is free of
charge and we will gladly let the foster parents select the
children they wish to help," Inten said.
"For instance, if you come from East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and
wish to help children from the same home town, you can contact us
and follow the existing procedures to make sure that the foster
children you pick are the right ones," she explained.
There are already up to 3.5 million children of school age on
the waiting list in the Foundation's data bank.
The Foundation's latest data shows that the number of
participating foster parents -- comprised of companies,
foundations, societal groups and individuals -- has slowly
dwindled from 2,471 in 1996 to a mere 154 last year.
The total number of funds raised in the past five years amount
to Rp 96.727 billion.
According to Inten, the cost of sponsoring a foster child is
Rp 60,000 per year for elementary school aged children and Rp
90,000 for junior high school.
"In terms of funds disbursement, there will be no direct
transactions between the GN-OTA officers and the children. It
will be directly transferred through the bank, in this case we
are using BRI, to be given to the child," she said, adding that
in areas without a nearby bank the money would be channeled
through the school's headmaster.
Information on becoming a foster parent can be obtained by
calling (021) 3900900 or through the Internet at www.gn-
ota.or.id.
"As for children in refugee shelters we opted to give them
materials such as cloth and other necessities. A total of 179,600
yards of cloths has been given to 89,900 children in eleven
disputed provinces. Each child gets two yards of cloth," she
said.
Recent Ministry of National Education data shows that about
7.5 million children within the school age are not enrolled in
school. (edt)