Residents complain about astronomical school fees

Zakki Hakim, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

"Did the fierce debate and demonstration last week on the educational bill mention anything about how expensive schooling is in Jakarta?" Syarief, 43, a parking attendant, asked The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Syarief, a father of three, said that due to the high cost of education, his eldest, an 18-year-old girl, had to drop out of elementary school 10 years ago. She now works in a factory.

He said, however, that he is trying hard to make sure his two sons -- 15 and seven years old -- stay in school at all costs.

His oldest son attends state junior high SLTPN 61, while the youngest starts at a state elementary school in July.

Enrollment at the state junior high school cost Syarief Rp 400,000 (approximately US$48.66) and Rp 150,000 for uniforms. Meanwhile, every month he has to pay Rp 35,000 and an extracurricular fee of Rp 18,500.

"Besides all of the school fees, I still have to prepare a budget to buy school books and supplies, and for my children's allowances," he said.

As for his youngest son, he said that, relatively, he had no problem in enrolling him at a state elementary school because there was no enrollment fee and no monthly fee. However, he still has to prepare extra money to buy uniforms, books and supplies.

There have been reports of high enrollment fees imposed on potential students at both state and private schools across the city.

The City Secondary Education Agency claimed that due to the limited budget from the city administration, the schools are allowed to impose fees, for their development, on students who have been admitted.

The City Council blasted the policy as being too burdensome on new students, especially those from the lower income bracket, and vowed that it would soon introduce a policy that sets a ceiling on the permissible fees.

Fanny, 27, has a similar problem to that of Syarief although on a different scale. Her six-year-old son, Aji, has been enrolled at state elementary school SDN 01 or Labschool.

The school charged her Rp 6.5 million for enrollment, which can be paid over seven months, plus a monthly school fee of Rp 100,000.

She originally intended to enroll her son at SD Al-Azhar, but would have been required to pay an enrollment fee of Rp 10 million within three days and Rp 254,000 in monthly school fees. Out of financial considerations and her son's potential, she chose Labschool.

"The cost of education is outrageously expensive, but I have no choice. I want my son to have the best education he can get," she said.

She said that most parents, including herself, had no choice but to accept the fees charged by schools without bargaining, because there were many parents willing to pay even more to enroll their children at Labschool.

"I want Aji to have a strong base and high discipline in self- learning," she said.

Unfortunately, only a few schools can instill such traits and give proper intellectual, moral and social instruction to children, all of which are obscenely expensive.

"Are you sure the debate on the education bill did not mention the cost of a good education at all?" Syarief asked.