Govt mulls joint schools in villages

JAKARTA: In a bid to increase the participation level of children in secondary education in rural areas, the government is considering opening afternoon junior high schools.

The junior high schools will be located in existing elementary school buildings.

"Distance has always been a problem for elementary graduates in rural areas continuing their study because junior high schools are usually situated far from their former schools," Ministry of National Education's director general of primary and secondary education Indra Jati Sidi said on Monday.

The ministry, he said, would upgrade elementary teachers to enable them to teach junior high school students.

There are only some 500 joint elementary-secondary schools nationwide. Data from the ministry shows that there are around 2.9 million children enrolled in 34,000 junior high schools across the country. -- JP