Poor urged to attend free schools

Poor urged to attend free schools

JAKARTA (JP): A councilor and official urged teenagers of poor
families in the capital yesterday to attend free-of-charge open
junior high schools (SMP Terbuka).

Instead of becoming drop-outs, the open schools would be the
best option for the poor children to beat the monetary crisis,
councilor Soeparmo, head of Commission E for social welfare
affairs, said.

"Please, don't quit school. Children may have to work to help
their families earn a living but they have also got to go to
school," the councilor told reporters.

The spokesman at the city office of the Ministry of Education
and Culture, Hadis Hadianegara, said the 33 open junior high
schools in the city were totally free.

"All SMP Terbuka are fully funded by the government. There are
no charges or fees which have to be paid by the students," he
said.

Although giving no precise figures, both Soeparmo and Hadis
estimated that quite a large number of poor parents had prevented
their children, particularly those who had just completed their
elementary education, from continuing their study due to the
economic turmoil.

Allowing them to continue in education would only cause
further headaches for parents as prices of almost all goods and
services had skyrocketed in the past few months, they said.

The city office for social service affairs reported recently
that some parents had allowed or even forced their children to
work to help ease their families' financial difficulties,
Soeparmo said.

"I think it's okay for children, at a certain level, to help
their parents.

"During my childhood, for example, I sold cookies to
contribute to paying my school fees. But children have to get a
proper education," the councilor said.

Understanding

Echoing Soeparmo's opinion, Hadis said he could understand if
some financially troubled families refused to continue paying for
their children's study.

But with the presence of SMP Terbuka in the capital, the
parents should make it a priority for the future of their
children, he said.

Hadis said the open schools would benefit teenagers, who might
currently have to work for their families to earn money because
the school hours were relatively flexible.

"The open schools open at 4 p.m. and last for only about four
hours so that the students can still do their job before or after
attending the school," he said.

He said the status of SMP Terbuka was just the same as the
regular schools.

"So students who complete the open schools can continue their
study later at regular high schools," said Hadis.

He said the open school program, which is only available for
junior high school students, had been developed since 1994 to
help teenagers from poor families or those who could not attend
regular schools for economic reasons.

He refused to say how many children currently attended the
schools.

Open schools in Jakarta are located in Johar Baru, Kemayoran,
Palmerah and Senen districts in Central Jakarta, Kali Deres,
Cengkareng and Petamburan districts in West Jakarta, Kebayoran
Lama, Pasar Minggu and Mampang districts in South Jakarta.

The open schools use state-owned junior high school buildings
in the appointed districts. (cst)