Tangerang puts focus on education
Multa Fidrus, Tangerang
Tangerang administration is one of the youngest in the country, and as part of the national campaign to improve the quality of education and human resources, it has made some very progressive steps.
The administration of Mayor Wahidin Halim, who was sworn in last November, allocated Rp 206 billion (US$22 million), or 37.5 percent of its Rp 550 billion budget this year, for education development.
"I am committed to the improvement of human resources in Tangerang," the mayor told The Jakarta Post in a recent interview.
Although the amended 1945 Constitution stipulates that a minimum of 20 percent of the total budget should be allocated for education, no local administration, even in the state budget, has met the required benchmark.
The child of a school teacher who grew up in Pinang subdistrict, Pinang district in Tangerang municipality, Wahidin started his career as a subdistrict chief in 1978.
Experience taught him that quality education is the key to good governance.
During his first year in office, Wahidin, 49, the younger brother of Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda, made random inspections of various school renovation and construction projects.
As a result, he blacklisted a dozen contractors, whom he found were not doing their jobs properly. Also, he launched an investigation into his subordinates' involvement in the projects, fearing budget misuse.
"We want to build a clean system of governance, which can only be built if all officials follow akhlakul karimah," he said.
Following Akhlakul karimah, a principle of Islamic teaching, would require officials to be honest, responsible, disciplined and loyal, with high professional integrity and morality. They would also need to put the public's needs before their own, Wahidin said.
Administration secretary Harry Mulya Zain -- formerly head of the municipality's education agency -- said Rp 80 billion of the education budget had been allocated for the renovation of school buildings. The remaining Rp 126 billion had been allocated for scholarships, and to improve the welfare of teachers and school administrative staff, he said. The budget is channeled through education and public works sectors.
"We renovated 206 elementary schools last month, while projects to upgrade 173 other schools are still underway," he added.
To increase the monthly salary of teachers, headmasters, supervisors and caretakers, Rp 13 billion of the budget has been allocated, while Rp 1.5 billion will subsidize the school fees of outstanding students from poor families.
Subsidiary payments will be in the form of cards for outstanding students that will entitle them to reduced school fees. The cards will be effective in July, and expire after the holder graduates.
"Recently, scholarships worth Rp 2 billion were awarded to students of the 20 junior high schools and 10 high schools in the municipality," Harry said.
Students of a state elementary school in Cipete subdistrict, Yosi, 11, and Daniel Arifin, 9, said they had received a Rp 300,000 subsidiary payment from the administration via their school.
Yosi and Daniel, whose parents work as street sweepers at the Modern Land Housing estate, said four other students, whose parents were poor, had also received a payment.
"We used the money to purchase the batik uniforms that we wear from Tuesday until Thursday and the Muslim clothing that we wear every Friday," they said, adding that the rest of the money was used to pay off the arrears of eight months' school fees.
Abdul Khalik, who teaches religious studies, said he, and other teachers, would receive a bonus every three months.
"Last month, I received a Rp 345,000 incentive for January, February and March," he told the Post.