Final exams drawing near, funds not yet disbursed

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Some school principals complained that they lacked funds to hold final exams but were undecided on how to obtain money following a decision by the Ministry of Education to ban schools from imposing fees for final exams.

"Final exams draw near but it is not clear how they will be financed as we have no money to hold them," Marsudi, principal of a state elementary school in Palmerah, Central Jakarta, said on Tuesday.

Final exams, he said, start from June 10 to June 12. "But certain subjects, like religion and sport, will begin two weeks earlier in May,"

Marsudi said schools had been prohibited from burdening students with fees as the city administration had promised to help cover the costs.

"However, until now it is not clear when and how funds from the city will be disbursed," he said.

Exam funds are needed to pay for copying test papers, paying teachers' honorariums and providing snacks and meals for teachers supervising the exams.

Iing Ahmad Mumkin, head of the subdirectorate of Jakarta elementary school education, revealed that his office had proposed Rp 44,000 per student for the tests.

"Be patient as the administration is drafting a gubernatorial decree to disburse the funds," he said.

Iing declined to reveal the exact amount proposed to the administration, but hinted that the figure could be Rp 5.5 billion (around US$587,300) for about 125,000 students at 2,334 state elementary schools and more than 750 private elementary schools.

The funds, he said, might be disbursed in two weeks.

Iing asserted that schools were prohibited from charging students fees for the tests.

"If you find violations, just inform us. We will take stern administration action against those who violate the regulation," he said.

However, Iing said that students could help fund the exams "if there is a consensus by which both parties -- schools and students' parents -- decide on the matter."

No parents have reported being charged fees for the exams.

"I have not been charged any fee by my son's school (for the final examination)," said Yusuf, who works at a private firm in Central Jakarta.

Yusuf's son is a sixth grader at SD 09 Harapan Jaya state elementary school, Bekasi.

"We'll protest if the school management decides to charge a fee (for the test) as we, the parents, have been well-informed that the government has prohibited schools from burdening students with fees," said Yusuf.

However, for state schools whose financing depends heavily on city funds, the disbursement is crucial.

Another principal of an elementary school in Petamburan in Central Jakarta revealed that her school might assemble parents to discuss fees for the test.

"Time is running out. In the next two or three weeks, we'll have no choice but to summon parents to discuss the problem if there is no certainty on when the money can be extended," said the principal.

Another parent, Ridwan, reported that a private school in Pamulang that his son attends had distributed circulars notifying that there would be no fee charged for the test.

"The school management has been careful in making fee-related decisions, as we parents are very critical of such issues," Ridwan said.

Last year, Ridwan said, the school charged Rp 110,000 per student for the final exams.