Students mark National Education Day with rally

JAKARTA (JP): Just as World Labor Day brought a slew of rallies across the country on Tuesday, students and teachers took to the streets on Wednesday to mark National Education Day.

The rallies were highlighted by a variety of demands, from calls for peace, to better and more affordable education and improved welfare for teachers.

In many schools in Banda Aceh, junior high school and high school teachers led their students in recitals of the Koran and prayers for the end of violence in the rebellious province of Aceh.

Aceh Governor Abdullah Puteh presided over an official ceremony to mark the day, promising to provide more funds to rebuild and renovate schools and education facilities in the province.

He pledged to double the allocation for the education sector to 14 percent of the total provincial budget in the next fiscal year.

"The education sector has been severely affected by the armed conflicts in this region, with many schools being burned down," Abdullah remarked.

In Jakarta, President Abdurrahman Wahid led a ceremony at the State Palace to commemorate the day.

In his address, the President discussed the philosophy of education and again pledged to increase the allocation of funds for education.

Minister of National Education Yahya Muhaimin expressed concern about the millions of children unable to continue their educations because of economic hardship and conflicts that had forced them from their homes.

The minister said many children had to drop out of school because their parents were no longer able to earn a living wage.

"This condition is worsened by violence in various regions. These disturbances have damaged education facilities, and many children can no longer go to school because they have become refugees."

National Education Day is commemorated on the birthday of Ki Hajar Dewantara, who founded the Taman Siswa school in Yogyakarta in 1922 during the Dutch colonial period.

On the streets of the capital there were several demonstrations held to highlight the poor state of the nation's education system.

About 300 junior high school and high school students marched to the Ministry of National Education in South Jakarta to express their concern with problems in the education system.

Director General for Elementary and Secondary Education Indra Jati Sidi met with the demonstrators. However, the discussion became heated when the students tried to force their way inside the building compound. The situation was calmed when police reinforcements arrived.

Students in Palu, Central Sulawesi, held a rally to communicate their demands. About 200 members of the Muhammadiyah Youth Association met with provincial council speaker Murad Nasir.

They demanded the abolishment of Ministry of Education Decree No. 501/1993, which obliges female students not to cover their ears with their headscarves when taking photographs for their school IDs.

"Such a ban is humiliating to Muslims, especially for women," rally leader Ahmad said.

In Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi, approximately 200 street children held a rally at the Mandala Monument to demand the right to free education and health care.

In Bandung and Surabaya, students demanded better education facilities and higher salaries for teachers.

In Semarang, hundreds of teachers marched to the Semarang District Court to demand the release of their colleague Dwi Aji Yulianto.

Dwi, a teacher at Pangudi Luhur elementary school, was arrested and charged with slapping a student in October. The teacher was angered when a student, Ardi, set off a firecracker in class while he was teaching.

"The court must declare Dwi not guilty," the teachers shouted. (02/25/27/prb)