Primary school students rally in Bandung

Primary school students rally in Bandung

BANDUNG, West Java: Hundreds of elementary school students
staged a rally in front of the West Java provincial legislature
building, demanding the local administration to waive their
monthly school fees.

The students protesters, who gathered together from numerous
primary schools in Bandung regency, marched down Jl. Diponegoro
in the city center holding banners reading Mbak Mega, perhatikan
kami (Mbak Mega, pay attention to us) and Indonesia maju tanpa
pendidikan. Mimpi kali ye? (Indonesia progresses without
education -- are you dreaming?)

The protesters also demanded local authorities to repair
education facilities and improve the quality of education.

Iqbal, a student at privately run Hikmah Teladan Primary
School in Cimahi, said the monthly tuition at his school was
between Rp 40,000 and Rp 60,000 per student, and that the fee had
overburdened the students' parents, as they also had to purchase
textbooks and uniforms annually.

Deden, a teacher who accompanied his students in the rally,
said more than 30,000 children in the regency could not go to
school because of financial constraints. --JP