Administration to close down 81 state schools

JAKARTA (JP): The city administration will close down 81 state elementary schools, mostly used for afternoon activities, due to a scarcity of students, a city official said on Thursday.

The head of the city's education and teaching agency, Masrul Nim, said it was inefficient to continue operating the schools as each of the schools had less than 100 students, far below the normal number of between 250 and 400.

"The drop in number of school children is caused mainly by the impact of the prolonged economic crisis, where many parents can no longer afford education costs for their children," he said.

Many students were forced to go back to their home towns with their parents, who had lost their jobs and could not support their families in the city, he said.

Masrul also said poorly thought out city development plans had contributed to the closure of the schools, as rapid construction of offices and housing complexes encroached upon school properties.

The administration also took a similar action last year when another 183 state elementary schools were closed down, also attributed to a scarcity of students, he said.

Last year's closures, however, were mainly due to rented school buildings becoming unavailable, meaning there was nowhere for schools to hold classes.

Agency data shows there are currently 2,475 state elementary schools in the city, with classes conducted in 1,718 buildings.

There are 769 private elementary schools, 14 state Islamic elementary schools 536 private Islamic elementary schools.

Masrul said that in the 1998/1999 school year, which started in July, 3,357 elementary school students dropped out of school.

The data also revealed that 284 school buildings are old and in need of repair, with 197 others prone to flooding.

Masrul said his agency had proposed that city administration totally renovate 46 school buildings, however, only 12 of the proposals were approved. (ind)