School 'donation' not mandatory: President

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto warned school principals yesterday that they do not have the right to ask for "donations" when parents are paying their children's tuition fees.

The President made it clear that principals should never ask parents for donations without consulting with parent-teachers associations.

The President's message was conveyed by Minister of Education and Culture Wardiman Djojonegoro, who met with him to discuss educational matters.

"Don't force parents to pay anything they cannot afford," Wardiman quoted the President as saying.

Soeharto's call came in response to ministry reports that parents in Jakarta and other major cities have been lodging complaints about having to pay the "donations".

Parents say that the unexpected costs are inconsistent with the government's policy to promote education in its effort to become an industrialized nation.

Some parents in Jakarta have reported having to pay up to Rp 8 million (US$3,400) in "education donations", the term used to solicit money for school development purposes that principals usually decline to specify.

Wardiman said that state schools are allowed to charge a maximum donation of Rp 45,000. He did not say if principals would be punished for violating the maximum.

Last month, students from three state senior high schools in Jakarta went on strike to protest the fees.

Students from one of the schools went so far as to accuse their principal of embezzling money, while those at other schools have staged sit-ins to demand lower tuition fees.

Wardiman said that he has evidence to support his theory that the school protests were masterminded by "third parties" that have personal grudges with the headmasters. (ste)