Children go to great lengths to stay in school
By Agus Maryono
PURWOKERTO, Central Java (JP): A group of teenagers clambers up an almost perpendicular craggy cliff face to the top of the 15-meter-high Gumawang waterfall.
Clad only in swimming trunks and without any harness or safety equipment, they brave the famed chilly weather of the Baturaden mountain resort, about 14 kilometers north of here.
They are playful and there is no sign of fear in their faces, even though the slightest mistake could send them hurtling to the stone cliff bottom.
At the top, the bargaining begins. Against the thunderous sound of the waterfall, the jumpers haggle over their fee with vacationers far below.
Simple signs are their language of business.
One finger indicates Rp 1,000 (12 U.S. cents) and two fingers Rp 2,000, the maximum bid.
Bidding usually opens at Rp 500 (6 U.S. cents) -- shown by five raised fingers -- but the going rate is Rp 1,000. Once the payment is agreed upon, the chosen youngster leaps from the top into the watery basin below.
The daredevils are mostly elementary and secondary school students forced to risk their lives to pay school tuition.
"I was scared the first day I worked as a professional jumper," said 18-year-old Sarwin, who hails from a nearby hamlet.
He and his diving friends are only a few of the tens of millions of poor children who find their educations imperiled because of the economic crisis.
According to the Central Java office of the education and culture ministry, about 60,000 students across the province have quit school since the crisis began in July last year. It is feared the situation will continue to worsen unless there are drastic economic improvements.
Local officials note that the number of daredevil divers in Baturaden leaped from seven at the beginning of the crisis to 20 at present.
They take no safety precautions, jumping out into the air above the cliff literally on a wing and a prayer.
On sunny days, the temperature reaches 20 degrees Celsius but it can drop to 18 degrees Celsius when overcast. Divers often suffer cramps in the water.
For a mere Rp 2,000, some of the bravest children will agree to a heartstopping and extremely risky act: Rolling down the cliff face.
"Only a few senior jumpers do the face jumping," said Sarwin. "We forbid little children from doing it because it is highly dangerous."
A member of what he termed the diving "circus" for two years, Sarwin said he was happy he could help his two brothers remain in school.
Edy, 14-year-old in his first year at Baturaden Junior High School, vouched that he was thankful for the opportunity to earn money.
"Thank God, nothing has happened to me. This wonderful job has allowed me to continue my studies."
He started diving because his parents could not afford to continue paying for his education even though he earned top grades in elementary school.
He earns Rp 5,000 a day, which is more than enough to pay his school fee.
"Once a Western tourist gave me Rp 10,000 for two jumps," he said with a grin about his best payday. He said he knew of 15 fellow elementary and high school students among the divers.
Foreign tourists are their favorite spectators because they usually pay more than locals.
During the rainy season, business is often quiet.
"On rainy days, few people visit here. Only young couples come here and they are interested in other things other than watching the diving, so we get nothing," said senior jumper Onteng, 20.
Baturaden is developing a reputation for the daredevil diving displays.
Local tourist resort office chief Andri Sungkono acknowledged the authorities benefited from the spectacles.
"They come and jump on their own initiative and they get the money for themselves. We ask nothing from them," he said. "We only list their names, which may be useful in case something happens to them."