Schools say present entrance fees not enough

JAKARTA (JP): Managements of two state-run city schools said yesterday government-set entrance fees of Rp 1,750 (71 U.S. cents) to Rp 4,000 should be raised because schools were running on thin government subsidies.

They were responding to complaints by parents about relatively high fees and donations. Some parents hoped that donations would be regulated.

Entrance fees "are not enough to cover photocopy fees and snacks for teachers (during student registration)," said principal Rafli Rusli of SMU 68 senior high school in Salemba, Central Jakarta.

Entrance fees are Rp 1,750 for elementary schools, Rp 3,500 for junior high schools and Rp 4,000 for senior high schools.

The elementary school entrance fee is made up of Rp 250 for registration service at the city office, Rp 200 for organization, Rp 50 for correspondence and Rp 50 for meetings; Rp 950 for school registration and Rp 250 for district office fees.

At senior high schools, a Rp 4,000 entrance fee covers Rp 2,150 for a transfer fee from the junior high school, and registration at the intended school and city offices, Rp 650 for the registration form and Rp 1,200 for processing.

Parents have said they cannot do much when asked for higher fees and some said they did not know of government-set fees.

The Ministry of Education and Culture city office announced set fees on May 20. However, donations were not regulated, while teachers say set fees were approved by parents and teachers' associations.

Vice principal Abdulrachman of SMU 8 in Tebet, South Jakarta, said the school only received Rp 16 million a year compared to Rp 200 million needed for activities, operational and maintenance costs and other expenses. The school was designated a superior school by the city.

"The amount is small compared to school spending on annual operational costs," he said, so the school virtually depends on contributions and tuition fees from parents.

State schools tend to adopt a cross-subsidy system with children of more well-to-do families paying more than those with less income, with regard to tuition fees and contributions.

At SMU 8, monthly tuition fees range between Rp 3,000 and Rp 6,000.

Principal Rafli of SMU 68 also said the school received around Rp 18 million a year from the government while it spent Rp 269.3 million last year on operational costs.

New students were only asked to pay Rp 45,000 for uniforms, student insurance, the student organization and a student card, he said.

"There has been no coercion in the collection of school donations. Payments have been based on parents' financial conditions," he said.

Rusli said every year parents of at least 40 of 400 students were allowed to pay lower contributions based on requests.

Private high schools charge tuition fees around 10 times higher than what state-owned high schools ask for. (03)