Schools defy regulation, sell textbooks to students

The Jakarta Post, Jambi/Yogyakarta

Nurhayati looks worried and seems reluctant to go to school. The 11-year-old sixth grader has reason to worry. She does not have the money to pay her teacher at SDN 51/IV elementary school in Telanaipura district in Jambi city for textbooks.

Her three teachers distributed seven textbooks to each student on July 21. Each student is expected to pay for them.

Ironically, the books were distributed on the same day as education minister issued regulation No. 11/2005 prohibiting teachers, education staff and school committees from selling school textbooks to students

Nurhayati said the textbooks she was expected to buy were printed by three different publishers, including Mediatama and Arya Duta. Each book costs between Rp 17,000 and Rp 32,000.

In all, Nurhayati owes the school Rp 145,000 for the books, a big amount for her family, which relies on her mother's income as a small-time dressmaker.

"Every student has to buy the books distributed by the teachers. If we don't, we can't follow the lessons," she told The Jakarta Post.

She said pupils could pay for the books in monthly installments based on the students' parents financial ability.

Responding to the problem, head of Jambi city's education office, Havidz Aima, said his office had told schools about the ministerial regulation. However, many schools had already sold school textbooks to students, since they were unaware of the new regulation, he added.

Moreover, many schools had made agreements with textbooks publishers before the new school year started, making it impossible for the education office to stop the practice.

However, Havidz insisted the regulation took effect on the day of its issuance. "And every school has to oblige," he said.

He said that schools could buy books, but could not resell them to students. The schools, he said, could keep the books in their libraries for students to borrow.

He warned that sanctions, ranging from administrative punishment to dismissal, would be imposed on teachers and school managements proven to be selling school textbooks to students.

He told schools to deal with the shortage of school textbooks by using their "students operational funds" instead of collecting money from students. The books, he said, could be borrowed from school library.

In Yogyakarta, students were also obliged to buy books from their schools.

At MTsN senior high school in Sleman regency, students were obligated to buy books printed by Erlangga publisher in Surabaya. Without notice, students were given textbooks with a circular explaining that they had to pay for the books.

"Out of the blue, I was given textbooks with a circular from the principal explaining students' obligation to buy the books. I'd never heard of it before that," said one student, Asti, while showing the circular to the Post on Thursday.

The circular, dated July 23 and signed by her school principal, obligates first-year students to pay Rp 50,000 for textbooks, second-year students Rp 85,000 and third-year students Rp 87,000. It advised that students were to pay in full by Oct. 29.

MTsN's deputy principal, Ali Nur Salim, said the students were not obligated to buy books and could return them if they did not want to buy them from the school.

"Even though the books have been distributed, the students can return them if they don't want them," he said.

One parent, Sutarjo, whose son is a third-year student at SMPN 1 Mlati junior high school in Sleman, said his son had to pay the school Rp 50,000 for books. "So I have to give my son money to buy the books," he said.

The head of the Yogyakarta Education Office, Sugito, said the problem had emerged because many schools had started selling textbooks before the ministerial regulation was issued.