Education for the rich?

Education for the rich?

From Pikiran Rakyat

I live in the West Java town of Sukabumi and like many parents of school-going children it is again time to pay our children's school fees.

My child's marks are just below the required minimum for normal admission. But my child is not excluded from enrolling at the school, provided I pay an admission fee of Rp 1,500,000.

If it was a government decision to charge that amount, people might take it into account. But the way things are done now, there seems to be an unwritten rule for school admission. If parents are able to pay the amount, a choice is created, but parents who survive on their income alone may be persuaded not to send their offspring to school anymore.

One teacher said the cost for education is high, so if a child wants to gain knowledge, the parents must make a sacrifice.

But if everything is obtained at a high cost, our nation will be the least cleverest on earth because only the rich can meet the expenses required. It seems that desks in school are now being auctioned.

There used to be a saying that a teacher is an unsung hero. Apparently it does not apply any longer.

What does the Ministry of Education and Culture think of this problem?

MRS. HENNI

Sukabumi, West Java