Students stage protest

SEMARANG, Central Java: Dozens of students from the Ibu Sukirah School of Marine Technology held a protest yesterday at the provincial legislative council, saying the school's administrators have yet to register the school officially.

Antara reported that the 60 students, representing 300 others, said the school established in 1994 was not even listed at the Central Java office of private colleges.

"Every time we tried to ask about the school's status, the administrators said they were still in the process of registering the school," one of the students said, adding that the informal status robs the school of a certain prestige and acceptance.

The students also lodged a host of other grievances with the council, including a complaint about irregular class schedules.

"Many of us come from poor families, and our parents have paid a great amount of money to send us here. How could they do it to us?" one of the students said. (swe)