Maluku school buildings in disrepair

M. Azis Tunny, The Jakarta Post, Ambon

Some 423 elementary schools in Maluku are in such a poor state that without renovation, it is no longer safe for children study there, an official says.

Head of Maluku National Education Office Ismail Titapele told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that most of the schools in question had been built by the government in the 1970s and were state owned.

Ismail said that many of the schools were built using asbestos, which is not available in the province.

"So if the schools are going to be renovated, they need to be totally rebuilt," he said.

He estimated the schools would be OK for about two more years, after which they would probably collapse.

According to National Education Office data, some 139 elementary and high schools were set on fire during conflicts in the province.

In Ambon city alone, 43 schools were set on fire, 27 in Central Maluku regency, 13 in West Seram regency, two in East Seram regency, 18 in Buru regency, 34 in Southeast Maluku regency and two in Aru Islands regency.

Of the 139 schools, 66 have been renovated.

"Students of 73 schools are studying at other schools while they wait for their schools to be restored to a better state," Ismail said.

Maluku province allocated Rp 22.7 billion of its 2005 budget for rebuilding schools. The education sector also received an undisclosed amount of money from the Rp 132 billion budget set aside for the province.

Ismail said the financial assistance was not enough, proposing the budget for education be increased to between Rp 66 billion and Rp 95 billion next year.

"It's not enough to renovate all the damaged and old schools. We're prioritizing 73 schools that were damaged during the conflicts," he said.

Aside from the condition of school buildings, there is reportedly a shortage of books in schools and an uneven distribution of teachers in Maluku.

Ismail said the problems affected the quality of education across Maluku, which has been ranked 30th in the country for its poor standard of education.

There are around 18,000 teachers in the province -- including relief teachers -- for 420,000 students, meaning a teacher teaches 22 to 23 students.

"Looking at the figures, it seems there are enough teachers. But the real problem is their uneven distribution," Ismail said, explaining that most of the teachers worked in certain areas.

He said in remote areas, particularly on small islands, the population was low and few people wanted to work there.

However, children living in isolated places have the right to an education, he said.

He cited the case of an elementary school that was supposed to have nine teachers, including a principal, but only had one teacher, who was also the principal.

"There are many cases like this. In May we'll conduct a survey to determine the areas that need teachers, and the areas that have a lot of teachers already."