Govt moves against commercialization of school textbooks

Govt moves against commercialization of school textbooks

Hera Diani
The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Among the many problems clouding the country's educational system
-- feudalistic teaching methods, low teacher salaries and high
tuition fees -- the issue of commercialized textbooks has been a
problem for parents for the past two decades.

Books are a lucrative business, not only for publishers, but
also for schools and certain teachers, as students are forced to
buy textbooks from the school or teacher who in turn receive
commissions.

Musliah, a housewife, was baffled because the price of books
kept increasing every year, yet they cannot be passed down to her
younger children.

"It used to cost around Rp 70,000 (US$7.15) per package, which
comprised several textbooks. Now, it's Rp 180,000 per package,"
said Musliah, whose husband is a small vendor.

And not only textbooks. Musliah also has to buy notebooks from
the school, exercise books for each school subject, as well as
pay other expenses for class picnics and blackboard maintenance.

"Students are ridiculed in front of the whole class if he (or
she) do not pay."

Budi Putra, a volunteer from the ISCO foundation for poor
students, pointed to the textbook package in schools in East
Jakarta which can reach up to Rp 400,000.

"Whereas many parents' maximum daily wage is only Rp 20,000,"
he said.

It was only last week that the Minister of National Education
took a stance and issued a ministerial regulation No. 11/2005 on
school textbooks.

The regulation bans schools from forcing students to buy
textbooks, and forbids schools and their staff from selling
textbooks.

"Otherwise they can be charged with a crime, or sanctioned
under government regulations for civil servants," Bahrul Hayat, a
Ministry official, told reporters on Tuesday.

Publishers must put a price label on the book cover, and any
cronyism with schools or teachers may land them in jail.

Based on the ministerial regulation, textbooks will also be
valid for a period of five years, unless an extraordinary event
takes place, the national curriculum changes, or the Minister
states that certain books are no longer valid.

Schools are free to select textbooks to be used in classes,
however the Ministry is now working on a recommended list of
textbooks.

To help poor students, schools are obliged to provide at least
10 copies of textbooks for each subject in their library.
Regional administrations are also urged to help with provision of
books.

Education observer Mochtar Buchori said that before the 1980s,
schools provided the textbooks that were returned by students at
the end of the school year.

"But it's a different age now. Education has become a
business."

To avoid commercialization of school books, he added, teachers
have to be given an appropriate salary, and there has to be a
good teacher-recruitment system and ongoing training for those in
the profession.

"Teachers must realize that it's a noble profession. Don't
become a teacher if you want to be rich," Mochtar said.