Regent criticized over treatment of school principal
Regent criticized over treatment of school principal
Haidir Anwar Tanjung, The Jakarta Post, Pekanbaru, Riau
Thousands of students and teachers in Kampar regency, some 60
kilometers west of the Riau capital of Pekanbaru, took to the
streets on Tuesday to demand the resignation of Kampar Regent
Jefri Noer over the treatment of a local principal.
The protest closed schools in the regency for the day.
The protesters descended on the Sudirman traffic circle in
Bangkinang, the capital of Kampar regency, in the morning. They
unfurled banners and posters in front of the office of the Kampar
regent, some reading: "Jefri must resign" and "Jefri is
uneducated."
Some of the protesters occupied the regent's office, forcing
civil servants to vacate the building.
Dozens of police officers gathered around the office to
prevent the situation from turning violent.
Mawardi, one of the protesters, said the rally was called
following a meeting between teachers in the regency and the then
acting head of the Kampar Education and Culture Office, Basrun.
He claimed that some 7,000 teachers, 20,000 high school
students and 13,000 junior high school students took part in the
protest.
The incident that caused the protest occurred last Thursday,
when Regent Jefri met with teachers and principals in his office.
In the middle of the meeting, the regent ordered Abdul Latif, the
principal of Air Tiris High School, to leave the room.
Jefri became irate when Abdul questioned the regency's budget
allocation for education, which at Rp 700 billion was only 5
percent of the total budget.
Latif said that the budget allocation was too small, pointing
out that the Constitution requires regional and central
governments to allocate at least 20 percent of their total
budgets to education.
"How dare you to talk to me like that. You are not on the same
level as me," witnesses quoted Jefri as saying to the principal.
The regent's outburst has caused a backlash by teachers in the
regency.
During the protest on Tuesday, the teachers and students said
they would continue their actions until Jefri resigned.
The said the regent had insulted the teaching profession, and
Jefri did not have the attitude necessary for a regent.
A spokesperson for the Kampar regency administration,
Subirman, said Tuesday's protest was engineered by Basrun, the
former acting head of the education and culture office.
Basrun was just dismissed by Jefri and replaced by Agus
Pujiprasetiono from the Agency for the Assessment and the
Application of Technology in Jakarta.
Riau Governor Rusli Zainal called on teachers to call an end
to their protests because it was disrupting the regency's
schools.
"It will cost the students dearly," he said as quoted by
Antara news agency.