Juwono promises to review proposed overseas study ban

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Education Juwono Sudarsono has promised to study whether President B.J. Habibie's proposal to ban elementary school children from studying abroad would infringe on human rights.

"We will determine the right school age for the ban and see whether this will constitute a violation of human rights," Juwono was quoted by Antara as saying on Tuesday during the presentation of US$7 million worth of powdered milk to Indonesian schoolchildren by the United States government.

Juwono said results would be announced in one to two weeks.

"We will discuss the idea with education experts."

Habibie last week raised the issue of eroded nationalism among the country's youth and proposed that the very young should be barred from studying abroad. His idea quickly invited pros and cons.

Juwono said there was truth in the belief that Indonesian children educated abroad might not develop a full sense of nationalism. He also acknowledged that studying abroad provided an opportunity for students to compare their homeland with other countries, which would bolster young Indonesians' nationalistic pride.

He noted that many parents enrolled their children in overseas schools because of the "comfortable environment" in other countries, not concerns over educational quality at home.

Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia J. Stapleton Roy said the milk donation was part of his country's commitment to strengthen Indonesia's social safety net programs and speed up the country's economic recovery.

"This milk will help provide nutritional requirements for children, and represent an investment in Indonesia's future," Roy said.

The donation, consisting of 6,500 tons to be distributed in two stages, is part of a total food aid valued at $264 million.

The government will cooperate with the milk processing company, Bina Putra Sejahtera Foundation, in distributing 5,000 tons in the first stage and 1,500 tons in the second stage.

The U.S. will also provide $75 million worth of wheat, and $104 million in grants and loans for rice, soybeans, wheat and other commodities, Roy said.

"We also hope to sign a separate agreement in the near future for powdered milk worth $2 million to be distributed to (poor) families in Jakarta."

The milk, he said, would be repacked into 61.1 million packages to be distributed directly to selected preschools, elementary schools, Madrasah religious schools and orphanages.

Over the next year, the milk will reach more than half a million children in more than 1,700 schools and orphanages, he added. (swe)