Soeharto wants help for 400,000 pupils

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto yesterday called for immediate public assistance for 400,000 poor children on the brink of dropping out of school.

"If they don't get help soon, those elementary and junior high school students won't be able to go to school," Soeharto was quoted by the minister of population as saying yesterday.

Haryono met with President Soeharto in his capacity as chief organizer of the National Children Day celebration, which will be held this morning at the Beautiful Indonesia in Miniature Park. Haryono was accompanied by other organizers including Minister of People's Welfare Azwar Anas, Mrs. Halimah Bambang Trihatmodjo and Yaumil C. Agoes Achir.

In the event, President Soeharto will chat with some of the 25,000 attending children, and launch the second Decade for the Children, 1996-2006. Antara reported that children from the other member states of ASEAN will also participate.

Soeharto said that the students are among the six million children he hoped to benefit from the National Foster Parents Movement that he launched in May.

Soeharto pledged at the time of the launching to take care of 100,000 children in need of financial assistance to send them to school. He challenged the nation to fund the other 300,000 children in desperate need of financing.

"Surely we can get 400,000 (under the program). Surely there are people and organizations who can foster them," he said during a meeting explaining the new national drive. Mrs. Halimah Bambang Trihatmodjo chairs the drive.

The campaign is closely tied to the government's nine-year compulsory education program, which was launched two years ago to send all children between the ages of seven and 15 to school.

Soeharto then said that there are currently about six million children who cannot attend school because they are too poor. Of these, 400,000 must be cared for immediately, he said.

"Given that education is the responsibility of the family, society and the government, we need to mobilize a feeling of solidarity and encourage people to lend a hand to some of these underprivileged children," he said.

"I'd like to take this opportunity to once again appeal to your hearts to become foster parents and set aside some of your income to help with the education of lesser fortunate children," he said. (swe)