ILO launches special program

JAKARTA: The International Labor Organization (ILO) and the provincial administration of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam have developed a program to help Acehnese students who failed the national exam prepare for the makeup test.

The ILO said in a press release here over the weekend that the program would prioritize schools with high failure rates in Banda Aceh and the regencies of Aceh Besar and Aceh Jaya, the three regions worst hit by the Dec. 26 tsunami.

More than 24,300 junior high school and high school students in the province failed the recent national exam. Devastated school buildings and a lack of educational facilities and teachers have been blamed for the high failure rate.

As part of the program, the ILO and the provincial education office in Banda Aceh, in collaboration with Primagama course provider, will provide a week-long training course for 150 math, English and Indonesian teachers to help them develop similar study programs for students at their own schools.

The program hopes to help about 1,000 students pass the second round of the national examination.

ILO representative in Jakarta Alan Boulton said the initiative was crucial to help students in Aceh pass the national exam and continue their educations. --JP