Students protest tuition fee hike

Students protest tuition fee hike

BOGOR (JP): Hundreds of senior economics and technical high
school students grouped under the New Technology Vocational
School Foundation protested here yesterday over the tuition fee
hike from Rp 30,000 (US$2.25) per month to Rp 35,000.

During the demonstration at the foundation's compound on Jl.
Semeru the students threw paper and deflated the tires of a car
belonging to one of their teachers.

They said that instead of raising the fees, the foundation --
which includes an economics and technical school -- should lower
them to Rp 25,000. "In the current crisis, we find it difficult
to buy food, let alone pay higher fees," one of the protesters,
who asked not to be named, said.

They also rejected the foundation's decision to raise
practical fees from Rp 75,000 for the economics schools to Rp
90,000 and from Rp 75,000 to Rp 85,000 for the technical schools.

Responding to the students' protest, T.B. Tatang Muhtar, the
school principal, who is also the foundation's treasurer,
spontaneously revoked the fee hike decision. "The tuition fee
will remain at Rp 30,000 per month," he told the students.

Tatang explained that the revocation was aimed mainly at
curbing the students' anger, which he feared could lead to the
destruction of school facilities.

However, he refused to revoke the decision on the practical
fees increase on the grounds that prices of goods needed for the
practicals had already increased substantially.

Despite the revocation the students were unsatisfied. They
later held a street rally along major roads, including Jl.
Semeru, Jl. Merdeka, Jl. Kapten Muslihat, Jl. Juanda, and Jl.
Pajajaran. (24/hhr)