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)