No exam fees for elementary schools

No exam fees for elementary schools

JAKARTA (JP): Students of state elementary schools in the
capital will be able to enroll in their final examinations
without paying any fees, an official said on Monday.

The exam charges, which have been set by state schools in the
range of Rp 18,200 to Rp 29,250 per student, will be paid by both
city administration and the state in their budgets for the
1999/2000 fiscal year beginning April 1, deputy governor for
social welfare Djailani said.

The policy, he said, was intended to help Jakarta's students
continue their studies during the prolonged economic crisis.

The city administration urged managers of private schools not
to demand money from students for the final examinations.

Djailani said school operators should bear the costs of the
examination process.

He asked that all school authorities in the capital would
"have a sense of crisis so none of them tries to break the
rules".

Djailani said the administration would "take action" against
errant teachers and school principals found to disobey the
rulings. The teachers, for instance, would be demoted for their
"mistakes".

The free exam regulation was stipulated in a 1999
Gubernatorial Decree, which also set the examination fees for
state elementary schools at Rp 18,200 per student and state
Muslim elementary schools at Rp 29,250.

The ruling also stated that fees for private elementary school
students would be "handled by the school operators", Djailani
said.

According to the official, Governor Sutiyoso's administration
had ordered managers of state elementary schools in Jakarta to
free students from all charges for the exams.

"The policy is in support of the government's compulsory
learning campaign for nine-year-old children across the country,"
he said.

The national examination for elementary schools this year will
coincide with the exams for junior high schools from May 10 to
May 12, while senior high school exams will be held from May 3 to
May 6.

Before taking part in the national examinations, all students
have to take part in the examinations organized by their schools,
which are usually held a few days earlier.

Late last week, the city office of the Ministry of Education
and Culture proposed a 15 percent increase to this year's
examination fees for junior and senior high schools in Jakarta.

The fees are currently set at Rp 44,000 for junior high
schools, Rp 59,400 for senior high schools, and Rp 70,400 for
vocational schools.

Sutiyoso said he had not yet made any decision on the
proposal.

Separately, head of the city's education and teaching agency
Masrul Nim said that 56 state elementary school buildings -- out
of the total 1,700 buildings -- in the city were in danger of
collapsing.

"We plan to totally renovate 16 of the buildings, hopefully
beginning in April. The rest will undergo minor repairs, due to
the limited budget," he said, adding that the renovation works
for each building would cost about Rp 1.2 billion. (ind)