'How can RI improve without education'

'How can RI improve without education'

Many parents are complaining about the expensive cost of their
children's education, not only for the tertiary level, but also
for primary education. They grumble that education is only for
the rich, while the poor are left to remain uneducated. The
Jakarta Post talked to some parents about the issue.

Aminah, 46, is a widower who sells food and vegetables in
Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta. She lives in South Jakarta with her
daughter:

I don't know what to think, because I'm rather ignorant of the
current situation.

To tell you the truth, I'm afraid that the money I've prepared
to cover my daughter's admission fee for university may not be
enough.

I can only ask her to choose a relatively less expensive
university. It's not necessarily state-run universities that
charge admission fees far higher than those of private
institutions.

I only hope the fees will be somewhere between Rp 6 to 7
million. I don't know what I'll do if she is accepted at an
expensive state-run university.

I only have about Rp 25 million in my savings for her
education -- this is for her entire education, until she
graduates from university. I've saved all my earnings for over 10
years, but I'm afraid it won't be enough.

I think the government does not care about low-income earners
like me. It only prioritizes the rich, who can afford the costly
education.

I just wonder that the country will improve at all, since not
everyone has access to a good education -- it's just too
expensive.

Kasiyem, 40, is a worker at a textile factory in Tangerang,
Banten. She lives in Cipondoh, Tangerang, with her husband and
three children:

I don't know yet the exact amount of the admission fee for my
son, who's about to enter senior high school.

I heard two years ago that schools charged Rp 800,000 for
entering students. I'd guess that this year's fee is
significantly higher, more than Rp 1 million at least.

I wonder why state-run senior high schools charge so much?
I've saved about Rp 2 million to cover his admission fee.

I'll also have to save up another Rp 1 million for my second
child for his tuition and textbooks for his third year of junior
high school.

I hate to say it, but education is only for people with a lot
of money, while the poor are neglected.

Schools are no longer seen as the source of knowledge, but a
money machine, since most schools nowadays are profit-oriented.

I think the government's promise to make primary and secondary
education compulsory is just hot air.

Ninik (not her real name), 36, is a housewife whose husband
works as a civil servant. She lives in Srengseng, West Jakarta,
with him and their three children:

I want to enroll my eldest son in a state-run senior high
school in Tangerang. I heard last year that a student with a good
grade-point average was charged around Rp 3 million.

I'm anxious because my son only has a mediocre grade. I'm
confused about what to do, since I've only prepared about Rp 1.3
million, excluding money to buy his books and uniforms. It's not
easy for us, as my husband is just an ordinary civil servant.

I read the newspapers and listen to the latest news about
schools so as not to miss a single bit of information.

Every day, I go out to look for the best school for my
children. I don't want to send my son to a school that is
notorious for student brawls. I want the best for him.

My daughter is also about to enter a state-run elementary
school, but the admission fee is relatively cheaper. It's Rp
400,000, or thereabouts. That's the normal price, but if there
are any problems with prerequisites, the school usually offers an
"amicable way" to settle it -- they just ask for more money.

-- Leo Wahyudi S.