No free lunch

No free lunch for students

From Koran Tempo

The University of Indonesia's Student Union is protesting against the admission fees to be imposed on new students by putting up tents on the university campus in Depok, West Java.

A popular saying goes, "There's no such thing as a free lunch". If students object to high tuition fees, it is logical. But have they ever questioned the quality of the education they receive at the price they pay?

If they have discussed the matter with college authorities, what was the outcome, and what alternative solutions are there in case of deadlock? The actual capacity to pay of the students' parents should also be ascertained. If most of them really can't afford to pay the fees, it is the government's responsibility to resolve the problem.

We should not want to see lecturers underpaid because of low university fees. For instance, a doctor in the university only gets Rp 4.5 million a month, while an advisor to a state enterprise can get as much as Rp 150 million. So, why don't the students care about the conditions endured by lecturers, and fight for more up-to-date libraries?

In brief, everything has its price. If the cost issue could be discussed amicably, transparently and courteously, I am sure a mutually beneficial solution would be found. Indonesian people are fed up with these sort of unrefined ways of expressing protests.

KUKUH Jakarta