Enrollment fee dispute in Bekasi

Enrollment fee dispute in Bekasi

BEKASI: A non-governmental organization has said that local
elementary and high schools in the mayoralty were able to impose
illegally high enrollment fees because a lack of official
monitoring.

The group blamed the Bekasi Education Agency and the City
Council's Commission E for social affairs for failing to control
enrollment fees in the mayoralty.

The head of the group Good Governance, Noor Fatah, said on
Tuesday: "Commission E and the agency should have begun
monitoring the situation days ago, prior to the new academic
year, so schools would not have had the opportunity to impose
high enrollment fees."

"Not all parents are able to spend millions of rupiah on
enrollment fees," he said.

At some state-run elementary schools in Bekasi, the enrollment
fee ranged from Rp 180,000 (US$21) to Rp 850,000. The fee is
meant to go toward constructing classrooms, laboratories and
libraries.

Commission E deputy chairman Syafrudin denied the accusations.

"We refuse to be accused of being lax in monitoring enrollment
fees at some schools here," he said.

Last week, Commission E summoned the principals of several
elementary and high schools, in response to increased protests by
parents over the high enrollment fees. -- Antara