SMP 56 taken over; students study outside

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

City public order officers finally occupied the SMP 56 state junior high school building on Jl. Melawai Raya, South Jakarta, on Sunday morning after months of dispute, forcing the remaining 65 students to start studying on the street on Monday.

Hundreds of officers entered the school building at around 4:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. A school security guard immediately contacted Nurlaila, a senior teacher at the school, who arrived at the school at 6 a.m.

The officers pushed her to pack up property belonging to the school as soon as possible.

"When I was packing away our books, the officers started to cart off the chairs,"said Nurlaila, who has not received her monthly salary since last December.

Afterwards, the officers sent Nurlaila and other staffers out and locked the gate from the inside.

Students later locked the public order officers into the building without food or drink before they were finally released by police officers at around 3:30 p.m.

The police talked to students, teachers and parents, and also around 200 members of the Indonesian Youth Bull (BMI) organization, which is affiliated to the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). The members said they were at the scene to show their moral support for the students. The assembled protesters finally agreed to let the public order officers leave the school building although some mothers jeered angrily at the officers.

According to Nurlaila, she will still hold classes on Monday even though the building has been taken over by the city administration.

"There will be 65 first graders divided into four classes. On Monday, five of the 15 teachers will come to teach them," she said.

Students Ana Anjani, 13, and Dian Zulfiani, 13, who watched their school being occupied by the public order officers, said they would attend Monday's classes even if they had to study outside under the scorching sun or in heavy rain.

"It's fine for us to study outside. We'll go to school tomorrow," Ana said.

The administration had offered the students and parents the opportunity to continue their studies for free at the nearby SMP 12 state junior high school on Jl. Wijaya, South Jakarta. But some students appear reluctant to do so.

A mother of a student said that although the public order officers had taken over the building, she would not move her daughter to SMP 12.

"As far as I can see, the learning process at SMP 56 is going well," she insisted.

Nurlaila said that she received a faxed letter ordering teachers to vacate the school at 5 p.m. on Saturday.

"In the letter, the administration said the eviction was based on a letter dated April 12 from the president of the Jakarta High Court. The letter stated that the land swap deal was valid," she said.

The administration, through the Jakarta Intermediate and Higher Education Agency, entered into a land swap deal with PT Tata Disantara in 2000. The deal said that the land in Melawai would be bartered for a plot of land in Pejaten, South Jakarta.

Some teachers, students and parents opposed to the deal filed a civil lawsuit against it, but the South Jakarta District Court rejected their suit last December. The plaintiffs then appealed to the Jakarta High Court, but no decision has been handed down by the court as yet.

The National Commission for Child Protection (Komnas Anak)'s office head, Rachma Fitriati, said the administration should consider the possible psychological impact of their decision to move the students.

Kebayoran Baru Police deputy chief Adj. Comr. Suhardjendro said that starting Sunday afternoon, officers would be deployed to guard the building.

"Nobody, neither students, teachers or administration officers, will be allowed to enter onto the school grounds until the administration issues a new directive," he said.