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.