Model teacher dies following accident

JAKARTA (JP): A member of a visiting delegation of teachers from around the country died on Friday evening from injuries she received when the ojek (motorcycle taxi) she was riding on crashed on Thursday afternoon.

Binsar Gultom, a staff member at the Ministry of National Education, said on Saturday 42-year-old Juliana Tupalessy was involved in the accident when she was traveling to Depok, south of Jakarta, to visit a friend.

"She took an ojek from the Tanjung Priok bus terminal. After a few minutes, a container truck tried to overtake the motorcycle on a narrow road, causing the ojek driver to temporarily lose control of his vehicle," he said.

Binsar said the ojek driver managed to stay on the vehicle, but Juliana was thrown from the motorcycle, receiving severe head injuries.

The mother of two was taken to Koja Hospital in North Jakarta. "But she died hours later and her body was sent to the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital morgue on Saturday morning," Binsar said.

Juliana, along with 51 other model teachers and educational supervisors from across the nation, was in the capital for a state function on Aug. 18, where they were received by President Abdurrahman Wahid at Bina Graha Presidential Office.

She was scheduled to return home to Ambon on Sunday.

A colleague from Ambon, Tien Lisapali, described Juliana as a dedicated teacher. "She went to the riot-torn areas to teach both local residents and people who had been made homeless due to the prolonged conflict. She contributed a lot to local education," she said at the morgue. (lup)