Helping our children

What does Rp 60,000, or US$26, buy nowadays? For most of us, not much. Perhaps two new CD albums, a dinner for two at a reasonably priced downtown restaurant, a night out on the town with friends, or a new pair of trousers or jeans. But Rp 60,000 also buys someone tuition at a junior high school, a one-year supply of school uniforms or a set of school books and utensils.

In fact, as Minister of Social Services Inten Soeweno pointed out when she unveiled the government's plan for a new foster parent drive on Monday, a total of six million children aged between six and 15 years old do not attend school because their parents cannot afford it. They certainly could use the Rp 60,000 to send them to school.

The new foster parents drive will be formally launched by President Soeharto on May 29 in Semarang, Central Java, during the commemoration of the national day for the elderly. There was no official explanation as to why both events were scheduled together. Yet -- whether by design or coincidence -- a personal endorsement from the head of state will make this campaign a truly national endeavor.

A similar official campaign was launched in 1984, only a few months after the government began the compulsory education program for children between six and 12 years old. The foster parents drive was crucial behind the success of that program. While the government was building new primary schools across the country, there remained the problem that some parents were simply too poor to send their children to school. This was where the foster parents program came in. In fact, in less than 10 years, the six-year compulsory education program had achieved an almost 100 percent success record. This gave the government the confidence to extend compulsory education to nine years, beginning in 1994.

The challenges facing the new extended version of compulsory education are even more immense and complex. There are not enough junior high schools to accommodate children between 12 and 15 years old. In addition, the government does not have the financial means to build all the new school buildings or to put more teachers on its payroll. It has turned its hope to private schools for help filling in the gaps. Even then, the government is facing the challenge that many parents cannot afford tuition fees. To complicate matters, some parents stop sending their children to school after elementary school in the belief that at that age, children should begin helping their family on the farm or earn a living.

It is no wonder that, given the complexity of the issue, the government has set a modest target of 15 years for the nine-year compulsory education to cover every child in the six to 15 years age group. But with the help of the society's wealthier members through the foster parents program, the government feels that the target could be accomplished much quicker.

The government has taken on itself the task of running the foster parents program. At a national level, it is easier to match foster parents with foster children. One can be in Jakarta and have a foster child in a far-away area such as Irian Jaya or East Timor. Yet there are also private, mostly grass root organizations running similar programs. In areas where these private organizations are already operating, the government should cooperate with them, given that they are familiar with the area and the people.

It is now up to the rest of society to respond to the appeal. Rp 60,000 a year may not seem a lot, but it can buy someone a seat at school.