Primary school exam fee dropped

Primary school exam fee dropped

JAKARTA (JP): Students at state-owned elementary schools will
not have to pay fees for quarterly evaluation tests from Oct. 7.

The head of the city's education agency, Soeparmo, said
yesterday that the administration has approved to set aside a sum
of money from its annual budget for the evaluation test fees.

Based on student numbers at city state-owned elementary
schools, the total cost to the administration is expected to be
at least Rp 4.2 billion.

"From now on students will not have to pay anything to sit the
periodic evaluation tests. The policy is in line with the
government's effort to help parents afford education for their
children," he said.

Soeparmo stressed that the new regulation is only for state-
owned elementary schools. In Jakarta there are 3,437 elementary
schools, of which 2,600 are state-owned.

The city administration has allocated Rp 45 billion (US$19.56
million) for education in its 1996/1997 fiscal year budget and it
has also allocated Rp 35 billion to each mayoralty for education.

For years each student was required to pay Rp 1,500 to sit the
quarterly tests. This has apparently caused many parents to
complain as the requirement was not based on law and was
considered against the government's policy on compulsory
education.

"I need information from parents if any school principals ask
them for money for the evaluation tests for their children," he
said, adding that unscrupulous principals would deserve
punishment. (yns)