Private schools told to aid poor students
Private schools told to aid poor students
JAKARTA (JP): Secretary-General of the Ministry of Education and Culture Hasan Walinono has urged private schools operators to subsidize poor but talented students.
"I strongly call for the provision of such subsidies to enable talented students from poor families to continue their studies," Hasan said at the launching of the Global Jaya School owned by PT Pembangunan Jaya on Friday evening.
PT Pembangunan Jaya is a joint venture between the city administration and private businesses.
Hasan said that the growth of private schools in the city reflects the attention businessmen give to national education, in addition to their goal of improving the quality of human resources to face the era of globalization.
Global Jaya, located on Jl. Raya Jombang in the Bintaro Jaya Sector IX housing complex in Tangerang, will combine national and international curricula. Besides Indonesian, students will be taught to actively use English.
Responding to Hasan's call, Ciputra, chairman of the school's board of trustees, said that the school will allow students from nearby schools to utilize Global Jaya's resources, including their English speaking teachers.
Global Jaya's kindergarten and elementary schools will open next July. Its junior and senior high schools will open in July next year.
Hasan explained that the government allows schools to employ foreign teachers, as long as the teachers have work permits, in order to improve the quality of education in Indonesia.
"A number of schools have already done that," he said, warning that schools intending to employ foreign teachers must get permission from the Ministry of Manpower and the Ministry of Education and Culture.
He said foreign teachers are needed to help teach English. "We need native speakers to enable us to speak English properly," he said.
Ciputra added that the Global school was designed to stop rich Indonesians from sending their children abroad to study.
Global Jaya, built on seven-hectare of land, has facilities ranging from a library to sport buildings. (yns/hhr)