Christine plans to build school

JAKARTA: Actress Christine Hakim, 46, has grave concerns about many Indonesian schools, which are poorly equipped, and about the soaring school fees that may deprive more children of a proper education.

"Since I have a lot of money, I'll build a good school for poor children. They are our country's future," she said last week while attending an event at Plaza Indonesia, Central Jakarta.

Christine, who received the Asian Heroes Award in Japan last week, has been working for PT Plaza Indonesia Realty TBK as the plaza's envoy since June 2002.

The Plaza, along with RCTI, Metro TV, and Media Indonesia daily, has established an education foundation called Yayasan Untukmu Guru (Foundation For You, Teachers) in July 2002, with Christine as its deputy manager.

Christine's most recent film, Putri Gunung Ledang (The princess from Mount Ledang), is a Malaysian-made film also featuring Indonesian actors Alex Komang and Slamet Raharjo. --JP