Parents feel the bite of education costs

Parents feel the bite of education costs

The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta, Semarang

Any parent would be proud to see their child graduate. But
Sudibyo is far from happy. When his eldest son, Eko Widi,
graduates from senior high school this year, Sudibyo will need
lots of money since Eko has been accepted for a communications
study program at Atma Jaya University in Yogyakarta.

"I don't know how will I pay the entrance fee, which is almost
Rp 10 million (US$1,052), not to mention the other fees,"
49-year-old Sudibyo told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

That amount of money is a lot to the father of three,
especially since he is paying for two other children's education.
However, he has already borrowed Rp 5 million for his eldest
son's higher education and will manage to borrow the rest.

"What else can I do? I have to borrow money to pay for my
child's schooling. If he does not register now, in the first
enrollment period, it will cost much more in the second or third
enrollment period," Sudibyo said.

When asked why his son did not go to a state university like
Gadjah Mada University (UGM), he replied that state and private
universities were both expensive.

"I heard last year that it cost tens millions of rupiah to
enter UGM, even hundreds of millions. Where could I get that sort
of money from? Even to pay Rp 10 million I have to borrow money
here and there," he said.

Santoso is facing the same problem. His youngest son,
Setiawan, 19, will enter university this year.

When his son was accepted at the School of Economics at a
reputable private university in Yogyakarta, he had already paid
Rp 12 million. "That was only a donation. There are other fees,"
said the trader at a traditional market.

University education in Yogyakarta, known as the university
city, is expensive. Last year, each student accepted at UGM, for
instance, reportedly paid between Rp 5 million and tens millions
of rupiah for the improvement of academic quality.

In addition, each student pays a tuition fee of about Rp
500,000 per semester as well as fees for each subject unit taken
per semester. One unit costs Rp 60,000 to Rp 75,000.

High costs are also apparent at the basic education level,
where parents have to dig deeper into their pockets, paying
millions of rupiah, to get enroll children at popular elementary
schools.

At SDN Ungaran elementary school in Kota Baru, for instance,
parents were required to pay a "donation" of at least Rp 3
million for each child last year.

"The amount of the donation is determined by the parents
themselves. But if some want to contribute more we'll accept it.
If someone wants to contribute Rp 25 million, we won't reject
it," said Dewi Partini, a teacher.

In Central Java, universities solicit prospective students by
visiting senior high schools, distributing brochures that also
provide information on the amount required per study program.

Essy Kakisina, a promotion and academic skill guidance staffer
at Satya Wacana Christian University (UKSW) in Salatiga, said the
university used such a method since it had to compete with 180 or
so universities in the province.

"We promote not only in Central Java, but also in Sumatra,
such as in Palembang and Padang," Essy said.

Six universities actively promoted themselves this week in
Semarang, organized by Idea Communication.

"We can be proud of our university's reputation. But that's
not enough for us. UKSW should be able to explain to students
(about our programs). With so many universities, students might
get confused," Essy said.

Syifa', a lecturer at IAIN Walisongo Semarang, was involved in
promoting the institute's three-year diploma program on sharia
banking.

"We want people to know that IAIN provides not only religious
study programs, but also banking programs," Syifa said.

Apart from promoting their study programs, universities also
provide information on their fees.

For instance, Soegijapranata Catholic University sets its
education development fee at Rp 12.5 million for its food
technology study program, Rp 6 million for civil engineering and
Rp 4 million for law. While UKSW sets its education "donation" at
Rp 9 million for its engineering program and Rp 4 million for its
social and political sciences program.