Be selective in buying new house, Wardiman says

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Culture and Education Wardiman Djojonegoro said yesterday that people should be selective before buying new houses offered by developers.

"First of all, check whether there are adequate public facilities like school buildings in a housing complex before you decide to buy a house. Don't be lured by the glossy advertisements placed by the developers," Wardiman said.

The minister made the remarks at a ceremony marking the final stage of the development of the new branch of the elite Sekolah Pelita Harapan in Sentul.

This new branch of the international school, managed by the Yayasan Pendidikan Pelita Harapan (YPPH) foundation, is being built at a total cost of Rp 20 billion (approximately US$10 million.) The site will be on a 10-hectare plot of land in the 2,000-hectare Royal Sentul Highlands, an exclusive housing complex five kilometers from the Jagorawi toll road in Sentul, Bogor.

The school will have a swimming pool, a fine arts center, a library, well-equipped science labs, computer terminals and sports facilities. It has opened registration for new students for the upcoming new school year.

But unlike the Sekolah Pelita Harapan in Lippo Village, a sprawling 500 hectare exclusive housing complex in Tangerang, for now the new school will only have classes for junior and senior high school students.

According to Wardiman, a housing complex with more than 500 houses should have proper school facility from kindergarten to senior high-school levels.

"This is because many of the prospective buyers of houses in the housing complexes are newlywed couples," Wardiman said.

On the occasion, Wardiman appealed to Bogor Regent Eddy W. to check whether housing developers in his administrative area have built school buildings or not. (has)