Elementary schools facing closure

Elementary schools facing closure

PURBALINGGA, Central Java: At least 43 state elementary
schools here may be shut due to a lack of students, a local
official of the education ministry said on Tuesday.

"Each of the schools has less than 70 students, leaving most
seats in the classrooms vacant," head of the education office
Soedino was quoted by an aide, Ahsan, as saying.

Soedino said some 2,000 students and 200 teachers from the
schools would be transferred to other schools.

He said the province was in need of more teachers because the
number of new recruits was far below the number of retirees.

There are only from 30 to 35 graduates of teacher training
schools annually to replace the 60 and 70 teachers who retire
each year in the regency, Soedino said. (45/04)