Bontang Mayor Prepares Free Education to Reduce School Dropout Rate

Bontang Mayor Neni Moerniaeni has ensured that no child will drop out of school in Bontang. Neni believes that education is a fundamental right of every child that must be fulfilled by all parties. The Bontang City Government has prepared various free educational facilities to assist the community, ranging from assistance with school uniforms and shoes to textbooks. “With completely free educational facilities—clothes, shoes, books are free—there should be no reason for children not to attend school in Bontang City,” said Neni on Wednesday (10/6). With this commitment, Neni hopes there will be no more excuses for children in Bontang not to receive an education. Neni stated that efforts to prevent children from dropping out cannot be solely charged to the Education and Culture Office (Disdikbud). All elements of government and the community must be actively involved, conducting supervision and mentoring in their respective environments. She requested that school supervisors, village heads, sub-district heads, PKK administrators, and Bunda PAUD conduct proactive outreach if they find children who are not in school or are at risk of dropping out. The involvement of apparatus at the village and neighbourhood levels, according to her, is crucial because they are considered to know the social conditions of the community in their respective areas best. “Give them the widest possible space; we must do proactive outreach. The village head ladies, PKK chairwomen, Bunda PAUD ladies know the condition of the children in their areas,” she said. Neni believes that collaboration from all elements of society is key to solving various educational and social problems in the region. She also appreciated the active movement of sub-district heads and village heads. According to her, PKK and Bunda PAUD have supported government programmes in education and child protection. In addition, she requested the Bontang City Disdikbud to submit an official report regarding school participation rates in the region, specifically at the primary school level. “This data is considered important to determine the real condition of school-age children in Bontang City,” she continued. She wants to ensure that no child is left behind from access to education, especially at primary school age, which forms the foundation of character building and basic skills. “We want all children to obtain their right to attend school and grow and develop well,” she concluded.