Govt to speed up completion of BSD toll road project

Govt to speed up completion of BSD toll road project

TANGERANG (JP): The government has pledged to speed up the
completion of a toll road project in Jakarta to Bumi Serpong
Damai (BSD) housing complex in a bid to further develop the area,
in which there are an increasing number of foreign investments, a
minister said on Saturday.

State Minister of Research and Technology/Chairman of the
Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology Zuhal
made the statement in his speech at the opening of the Deutsche
Internationale Schule in Bumi Serpong Damai housing complex.

"I will discuss the possibility of continuing the second part
of the project with Minister of Public Works Rachmadi B.
Sumadhijo," he said.

He explained that the first part of the 13.1-kilometer toll
road, which connects Serpong and Pondok Aren in South Jakarta,
opened last month.

The second part, from Pondok Aren to Ulujami, was originally
to be built by PT Jasa Marga, a state-owned highway corporation,
but it has practically ground to a halt due to the economic
crisis.

As the government is concentrating on the safety net program
to help those severely affected by the crisis, Zuhal said he
would possibly invite the private sector, including foreign
investors already operating in BSD, to invest in the construction
of the toll road.

He reiterated that the toll road was essential to provide
better access to the BSD area, thereby accelerating development
there.

Meanwhile, W. Hinners, the principal of the German
Internationale Schule, said the school started operating at its
new address in BSD on Oct. 12.

The school relocated from its two old locations on Jl. Sam
Ratulangi, Central Jakarta, and Jl. Prapanca, South Jakarta,
because the sites were no longer conducive to supporting teaching
and learning activities.

The school, which stands on a 4.7-hectare plot of land, is
equipped with two swimming pools, a soccer field and a sports
hall for basketball, handball and gymnastics.

Hinners said the three-story school building, which has 270
students and 32 teachers, also has an auditorium and chemistry,
physics and biology laboratories.

"The majority of the students (about 80 percent) are German,
but we have Austrian, Swiss, American, Dutch and other
nationalities as well. The only prerequisite here is that the
students have to be able to speak and understand German in order
to follow the lessons," he said.

He said that besides it being essential to be able to speak
German, students were also obliged to learn English, French and
Indonesian.

"We do teach Indonesian as a language from a very early age
(10 years). We instill an understanding of Indonesian arts and
culture through a special 'Landeskunde' program, classes that
concentrate on Indonesian geography, culture and regional
differences," he said.

Zuhal said he would also consult ministers related to the
making of education policies on the possibility of allowing
Indonesian students to study at international schools in the
country.

"We will discuss the policy which currently bans Indonesian
students from registering themselves to study at international
schools in the country," he said.

Allowing local students to go to international schools will
enable them to easily continue their studies abroad, he said.
(hhr)