Parents become victims of school textbook competition

Parents become victims of school textbook competition

Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post/Surabaya

Sweat gushes over Nanang's face. Nanang, an employee with a book
distribution company in Surabaya, was exhausted after a day of
selling textbooks to elementary schools in the city. It was a new
school term and he expected to sell as many books as he could.

He had been optimistic that he would be able to sell many more
books because those he was selling had been recommended by the
National Education Standards Agency (BSNP), but reality was quite
different. He only sold a few books.

"Other distributors have slashed book prices. Teachers, who
decide which books to be used by their students, choose to pick
cheaper books, although those are not recommended by the
government," said Nanang.

Nanang claimed that the books not recommended by the BSNP were
10 percent to 20 percent cheaper compared to books recommended by
the standards agency. That does not include the discount normally
given by the book distributors. Normally, the book distributors,
whose books are not recommended by the BSNP give a 40 percent to
50 percent discount, while distributors whose books are
recommended by the standards agency only give 10 percent
discounts. "The discount is normally the cost for giving
commissions to school teachers or the principals," he said.

In order to compete with other distributors, especially those
whose books are not recommended by the BSNP, Nanang offered the
schools a deal to pay in installments. "If the schools buy books
in a certain amount, they can pay by credit between two and six
months," said Nanang.

Mursyid, an employee at a book distributor whose books are not
recommended by the BSNP, acknowledged that the competition was
tough. As books from his company were not recommended by the
government, he worked harder to work out closer relationships
with teachers, school principals and officials with the local
education office. And, so far, his approach has worked well, he
said.

Out there, parents, who had become the victims of the business
competition, complained about school policies that obliged
students to buy books from schools.

Anas, a parent of an elementary school student, complained
that she had been compelled to buy the books. "I am afraid if I
don't buy the books, then my children will not be admitted in the
school," said Anas. A similar complaint was shared by other
parents in the city.

The schools, especially the state schools, have normally
imposed registration fees amounting to Rp 500,000, on top of the
fee for books and school uniforms amounting to Rp 500,000.

As the situation grows worse for parents and the students, the
Minister of National Education, Bambang Sudibyo, has warned that
the department would fire administrators and teachers who imposed
exorbitant school fees and required students to buy books
thatwere not recommended by the government. "People have to be
proactive about reporting the recalcitrant schools and if the
reports are true, we will discipline them," claimed Bambang
during a function in Surabaya on Thursday.