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