Foreign junkets
Foreign junkets
Public censure, in relation to foreign trips made by regional
councillors under the guise of comparative studies, seems to have
fallen on deaf ears.
It is rather odd and unfortunate that such trips should have
gained popularity with high school principals in Bandung and
regional towns of West Java.
According to the report, 38 high school principals in West
Java are slated to travel to Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia on
a study tour. The study allegedly aims at "improving the quality
of education" in the region (The Jakarta Post, Aug. 9).
The trips will include visits to only one school each in
Singapore, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. However, it is more the
trips to recreational establishments, such as the show clubs in
Bangkok and a highland gambling resort in Malaysia, that should
be frowned upon, if the above visits are being made as part of an
ostensibly serious study trip.
It may be questioned as to how a study trip to only one school
in the capital of the three countries visited, during a span of
only one week from Aug. 20 to Aug. 27, can fulfill the stated aim
of improving educational standards in high schools.
What's more, the study trip is joined by another group of at
least 24 local officials. Such a large group of 50 or 60
travelers could not be effective in terms of the envisioned
objectives, particularly because of the limited span of only one
week's visit to three countries, leaving aside the days needed
for traveling.
Four high school principals have reportedly declined to go on
the trip, arguing that the program would in fact substantially
fall short of the noble objective of improving the quality of
education in high schools. It is regrettable that the competent
local authorities concerned should not have tried to assist in
finding the possible ways and means, such as seeking consultation
and cooperation, with the endorsement of the central government
agencies, that may be obtained from eventual counterparts within
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' structure.
Such an attempt should be commendable rather than following an
appalling fashion in conducting the worthy study tours proper.
S. SUHAEDI
Jakarta