Students protest high absenteeism

SALATIGA, Central Java: Hundreds of students of the economic school of the Christian Satya Wacana University staged a protest on Thursday against the management for allowing a high rate of absenteeism among staff lecturers.

The students said that many of the lecturers who are notorious for their failure to turn up for classes are known to be working at other colleges.

The students urged the university management to take stern action on the basis of university regulations against staff lecturers who moonlight at the expense of teaching hours at Satya Wacana.

The students said they had tried to raise the matter with the dean of the economic school, but to no avail.

Arief Budiman, an outspoken lecturer at the university, said that despite opposing the regulations of the university, it was no secret that many staff lecturers are teaching at other universities to supplement their incomes.

"This may happen because the university leadership has not been strict in enforcing the ruling," Arief said.

The protesters and the university management agreed to meet on Sept. 28 to resolve this and other problems at the university. (har/rms)