President reiterates pledge to help children

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto reiterated yesterday the government's commitment to improving children's standard of living and education.

When addressing a young crowd commemorating Children's Day at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, the President said he was aware that education would determine the nation's future.

He acknowledged that many families were too poor to provide proper education for their children.

"I know that many children are still living in slum areas. They even have to work to help their families. Many of them can not continue their studies because their parents are too poor," Soeharto told about 400 children.

The children looked enthusiastic and tried to be on their best behavior during the ceremony where they sang songs for President Soeharto.

When he read his speech they listened carefully, although some did not seem to fully understand. And some of the boys yawned when teachers were not watching them.

The President, accompanied by Vice President Try Sutrisno, then chatted briefly with the children and had his photograph taken with them.

Outside the venue hall, about 25,000 school children were invited to enjoy the Taman Mini park for free.

Soeharto said the government had taken several steps to ensure more children could go to school.

Last year he launched the Indonesian Foster Parents program to help poor, handicapped and isolated children to complete their education.

He said that six million of the country's 38 million school- age children could not go to school because they were too poor while 400,000 of them dropped out before they could finish their basic education.

The program, chaired by his second daughter-in-law Halimah Bambang Trihatmodjo, had amassed Rp 18 billion (US$7.4 million) by Dec. 31, 1996, to help underprivileged children.

The program, set up to support the government's 1994 compulsory nine-year education program, is funded by donations from groups and individuals.

According to Unicef, Indonesia is ranked 11th of 23 Asia-Pacific countries in terms of percentages of primary school enrollments.

At the ceremony, Soeharto launched the National Movement for Children's Protection. He also presented awards to six companies, four individuals, three regents and two mayors for their contribution to the Foster Parents Movement. (06)

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