Govt's plan to appoint top-grade school opposed

JAKARTA (JP): More concerns arose yesterday that the plan to assign six schools for top students in the Jakarta area will fail to address the educational system's real problems and lead to schools the become playgrounds for the children of the rich and powerful.

Tunggul Siagian, the chairman of the Jakarta Chapter of Privately Organized Education (Majelis Pendidikan Swasta-DKI), told a hearing of City Council Commission E on education that more than one "magnet" school for top students would be a waste of resources, since not many Jakarta-area youngsters are doing well enough to justify attending a special school.

The government's plan had already drawn strong opposition from city councilors, whose charges Tunggul echoed.

"Grading a school as top should mean that all students who go to the school have top grades, but in fact, it is so? Tunggul said.

He argued that last year, the average mark in mathematics on the Ebtanas state examination in the city was 3.1 on a scale of 10. Tunggul said very few students managed a six.

"If we categorize those who get a 6 as top-grade students and gather them in just one school, I am afraid there would still be many empty seats," Tunggul said.

Tunggul was also concerned that the appointed schools would be seen as elite schools for the rich and become inaccessible to the poor.

He speculated that the prestige associated with the designated schools "could induce some high-ranking government officials to give `references' (katabeletje) to the principals of the schools to accept their children, irrespective of the children's ability," Tunggul said, adding that Indonesians are usually afraid to refuse such "references".

This will reduce the quality of those to-be-appointed schools because entrance will not be base on ability alone, Tunggul said.

"And once a school is appointed top-grade, can it manage not to turn into an elite school? Can, for instance, sons of a pedicab driver enter the school? " Tunggul said.

Tunggul said that in the former times, sons of pedicab drivers went to the same schools as sons of high-ranking government officials. "Now such an occurrence is completely impossible," he added.

Objections

Although he is chairman of the Board for Privately-Organized Education, Tunggul said he has no objections if the government does not put privately-run senior high schools, some widely recognized as top schools, into its categories.

"What for? People already know they are top schools. Their ranks as top schools are clearly known in the community," Tunggul said.

The six schools, which the government plans to appoint as top- grade schools as next July, are Senior High School Number Eight (SMA 8) as the top grade senior high school for the entire Jakarta area, SMA 68 for Central Jakarta, SMA 13 for North Jakarta, SMA 78 for West Jakarta, SMA 70 for South Jakarta and SMA 81 for East Jakarta.

Last week, Tating Karnadinata, the head of the Jakarta Office of the Ministry of Education and Culture, told the council's commission that his office had drawn up a list of schools to be appointed as the city's best. (06)