Students stand for lessons

TANGERANG (JP): Sixty-seven secondary students of SD Kebon Baru at Ketapang village of Mauk district are studying on their feet in a tiny, emergency 'classroom' of the principal's official home.

Deputy principal Maman said here on Saturday that the first and second grade students had learned under the poor conditions for two years since the old roof of the building broke down and damaged everything inside the students' three classes.

"Nothing, including the desks and chairs, could be rescued," he recalled.

The school has two separate buildings. The first was built in 1963, while the other one with the collapsed roof was constructed in 1986.

The 36-year-old school is still used by remaining students although the roof has deteriorated dramatically and the wooden pillars have been eaten by termites.

"One classroom is not used at all. The remaining three have 574 students from this village crammed in them," Maman said.

"We have reported all these cases to the local education ministry office but still they give no response. They only said repairs would be conducted after the general election," said Maman.

He said, the 67 students have to stand on their feet while learning in the packed makeshift "classroom" at the principal's house located behind the school.

"The local education office should do something for the sake of these village students," Maman said.

He added that the Tangerang administration claimed repairs could not be made as long as the 1.4-hectare land on which both buildings stood, was still owned by an individual.

Mauk district head Asmawi already said, however, that the land owner, Inang, donated the land to the school.

"The land's been given to the school, so why not start making the repairs," Asmawi said.

The other major problem of the school is the shortage of teachers, Maman added.

"We have only nine teachers, and I myself have two roles here, as teacher and night guard for the school," he said. (41/ylt)