Administration to close down 81 state schools

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)