Compulsory education a big challenge
Compulsory education a big challenge
Leony Aurora, Jakarta
After the first 10 years in the push to give everyone at least a
ninth grade education, the government has expressed concerns that
it is not working as there are still 72 regencies and
municipalities across the country with student participation
rates below 60 percent.
Director-General of Elementary and Junior High Education Indra
Djati Sidi announced to the public on Friday that the regencies
and municipalities were mostly located outside of Java in the
eastern parts of Indonesia.
"Some of the eastern areas usually have a very low number of
students. Areas in Java generally have participation rates of
more than 75 percent," Indra said on the sidelines of a press
conference held in observance of National Education Day, which
falls on May 2.
The ministry data shows that South Sulawesi has nine regencies
with nine-year education participation rates of lower than 60
percent, while Papua has eight, Riau seven, East Nusa Tenggara
and West Kalimantan six each and East Java four.
Nabire in Papua recorded the lowest junior high school
participation rate. In 2002, only 668 of 7,408 teenagers between
the age of 13 and 15 went to school in the quake-prone regency,
meaning a participation rate of just 9.02 percent.
The highest rate in this group was found in Baru in South
Sulawesi, with 59.88. Based on 2002 data, there were 6,526 of
10,889 children who were on course to finish junior high school
(ninth grade).
Nine-year compulsory education was introduced in 1994, with a
target of reaching 95 percent of the nation's students by 2004.
Due to the monetary crisis, the target was revised to 2008.
After a decade, 90 regencies have obtained the target, with 40
of those in Java. Seventeen regencies have participation rates of
between 90 percent and 95 percent while 162 regencies have rates
of between 60 percent and 90 percent.
Nationally, participation rates in junior high schools
increased from 52.85 percent in 1990 to 77.44 percent in 2002.
Nevertheless, some 3.2 million children aged between 13 and 15
are still unable to get a formal education because their families
are too poor to pay the relatively high school fees and other
associated costs.
"We have started this year by concentrating on building (new
schools) outside Java in eastern Indonesia," said Indra.
The government has approved construction of 215 new junior
high schools across the country this year and allocated Rp 200
billion (US$23.53 million) in block grants for the projects.
Each school will receive Rp 750 million for the construction
of nine rooms -- six used as classrooms -- and their furniture.
Local administrations are obliged to provide the land and cover
the schools' operational costs.
In accordance with this year's National Education Day, the
ministry plans to award a number of regents and mayors who have
succeeded in achieving nine-year education participation rates of
100 percent.
The awarding ceremony will be held on May 5 and President
Megawati Soekarnoputri plans to attend.