JJS clarifies

Thank you very much for your newspaper's interest in our school. I am very appreciative of your reporter's efforts in contacting the school and conducting interviews. I am also very grateful that those efforts were transmuted to the articles that appeared in the May 16 issue of The Jakarta Post.

There were however three mistakes in the two articles. 1. In Japan, it is customary to change shoes upon entering a school or home. Shoes that are worn outside are removed at the entryway and replaced with "indoor" shoes. These shoes may be exactly the same as the outdoor shoes, but they are only worn indoors.

Here at the Jakarta Japanese School (JJS), this tradition is observed. Teachers and students leave their indoor shoes at school so that, upon arrival every morning, they have only to remove their outdoor shoes and replace them with their indoor shoes. Parents and guests are also asked to observe this tradition and are provided slippers in the event they have not brought indoor shoes along. 2. In the article, it states that our track is 400 meters. It is not. At JJS, we have a 200-meter track. 3. There is no Japanese school in Medan, Sumatra as stated in the article. There are Japanese schools in Jakarta, Bandung and Surabaya only.

Additionally, I would like to clarify the issue of the teacher's clothing. JJS teachers are required to wear suits to work. Due to the active nature of their work, many teachers opt to change into more comfortable attire, such as t-shirts and track pants, before going to their first class.

All of the elementary school teachers also teach physical education (P.E.) to their homeroom classes. Teachers change back into their suits at the end of the school day as well as to meet the parents or VIP guests.

NAORU KIRYU Principal Jakarta Japanese School Note: Thank you for your clarification.

--Editor