'The poor, less smart, have to pay more'

'The poor, less smart, have to pay more'

Despite the national campaign for a minimum of nine years
education, many people find providing education for their
children a financial burden. Expensive school fees, the slow and
the unclear enrollment process are among the reasons. The Jakarta
Post asked some Jakartans how they deal with the matter.

Yulia Wardani, 28, is a lecturer at a nursing school in
Salemba, Central Jakarta. She lives in a rented house near her
office:

I think many people have started to understand the importance
of having a higher level of education. Many people are no longer
satisfied with a university degree and pursue post graduate
studies or even a doctorate. This may be linked to the fact that
many companies prefer to recruit people with higher levels of
education in their CV.

But, I observe that people's need for higher education has not
led to an improvement in the quality of education. The problem is
partly due to the fact that many lecturers and teachers are not
compensated adequately.

In the Philippines, for example, to be a lecturer or a
teachers is considered to be a prestigious profession. People
compete to become lecturers or teachers. No wonder they have
quality education.

Risma, 34, is a food vendor outside Kalibata mall in South
Jakarta. She lives with her family in Kramat Jati, East Jakarta:

My husband and I have agreed to put our children's education
on the top of our priority list, in the hope that they can enjoy
a better life than ours.

However, things are not going as well as expected. My daughter
is now in fourth grade. She likes school, but is not smart enough
to get free books or scholarships.

I think it's a bit unfair to give all those facilities to
smart students, who I believe come from middle to high income
families. We, the poor, cannot feed our children well so they
cannot grow and develop like the children of the rich. And
because they are not as smart, we have to pay more for additional
lessons.

--The Jakarta Post