Financial problems destroy dreams of bright students

The Jakarta Post, Madiun/Purworejo/Sukabumi

Eighteen-year-old Sugiarto's dream of going to college nearly came true. The graduate of Purworejo 7 high school consistently made high marks at school, enabling him to be selected as one of thousand of students nationwide admitted to the prestigious Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) without test.

But his dream vanished because his parents, Maidi, 56, and Pariah, 54, could not afford to pay the entrance fee for the institute. His father Maidi works on a farm and his mother operates a small spice stall in a local market.

"I told Sugiarto that I would not be able to send him to university. It is difficult for me even to cover my family's daily expenses. It seems that sending him to university is like the dwarf longing for the moon," Maidi told The Jakarta Post in Andong subdistrict, Butuh district, Purworejo regency, on Saturday.

But without Maidi's knowledge, Sugiarto left Purworejo for Yogyakarta several weeks ago to apply for a seat at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta and the IPB in Bogor.

Only recently did he tell his parents that he was accepted by IPB. "I was very happy, but deep in my heart I was crying when he told me that he was admitted to IPB. He is a clever boy and always ranked at the top of his class since elementary school, but now I have to face the reality that my son cannot go to university because I am poor," Maidi said with tears in his eyes.

Sugiarto's four older brothers and sisters all graduated from high school and immediately went to work. Sugiarto left the family home in Andong subdistrict last week to go live with his brother Pramono in Bandung, where he can find a job.

Kiki Setya Dewi, a graduate of Madiun 3 high school, was also forced to turn down a place at IPB because her family could not afford to pay the entrance fee and the tuition.

"I was so happy because my dream of going to university was about to come true," she said.

But that dream vanished when she received a letter from the institute informing her how much it cost to enroll at the institute.

"I had to pay Rp 5.475 million," said the 18-year-old. That included a payment of Rp 1.5 million per semester for tuition, Rp 900,000 for accommodation, a Rp 375,000 deposit and other fees amounting to Rp 400,000 to secure her admission to the institute.

"I am retired, where can I get the money?" asked Slamet, 62, Kiki's father, the retired village head of Sumber Bening village.

Kiki said she would apply to the State Institute of Accounting (STAN), where she can get a free education and possibly secure a government job after graduation. "Please pray for me. The entrance exam is on July 17," she said.

Asriani, a graduate of Sukabumi 3 high school, was a bit more fortunate. Although her family is poor -- her father is a motorcycle taxi driver who earns between Rp 10,000 and Rp 15,000 a day -- her friends, teachers and neighbors collected Rp 1.3 million (US$136.80) so she could afford to enroll in a matriculation program at IPB on June 29.

Asriani said she only applied to IPB because the Sukabumi government had promised to pay all of her school expenses. But as of last week, the local government had not made good on the promise.

"Because the promise was uncertain, my dad pulled me out of the institute only a week after I joined the matriculation program," said the 18-year-old.

Asriani's father Anwar said he was scared that he could not afford her school fees and other expenses.

"I am afraid that if she insists on studying at IPB, she will be forced to drop out of the institute someday," he said.