School building needs renovation

School building needs renovation

TANGERANG (JP): The Cempaka Putih state elementary school
building in the district of Ciputat, Tangerang, is in very poor
condition, forcing students from two classes to go home when it
rains.

The roof of the whole building has been decaying for a long
period of time.

"We are afraid that strong winds will destroy the building,
especially Class 3 and Class 6 rooms," Saifuddin, the school
principal, said.

"The school has not received any maintenance funds from the
government since it was built in 1970. We got three additional
classes, that's all," Saifudin said, without mentioning when the
additional classrooms were constructed.

"The Class 3 room's roof collapsed last year due to strong
winds. Fortunately the incident took place at 2 p.m. after all
students had returned home."

The school is on Jl. Pendidikan No. 4, Ciputat, an area
bordering Jakarta with Banten (formerly West Java) province.

He said an accident could happen at any time and casualties
are unlikely to be avoided if repairs are not made. (41/sur)