Tight control of school exam fee exemption sought

Tight control of school exam fee exemption sought

JAKARTA (JP): School principals have urged the city
administration to ensure that elementary schools are not
collecting money from its students, who are exempted from paying
their final exam fees, in other forms.

Muchlis Rangkuti, principal of Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Al
Wasliyah, a private Islamic elementary school in Kayumanis, East
Jakarta, told The Jakarta Post recently that he welcomed the
policy of exempting elementary school students from paying the
final exam fees.

"But, has the administration anticipated that schools may use
other reasons to collect money from students?" Rangkuti said.

"Schools usually hold a farewell party or picnic after the
final examinations. Let us presume the school has estimated the
cost of a farewell party or picnic per student is Rp 25,000
(US$2.50).

"The school could ask each student to pay Rp 50,000 instead.
So, this would actually cover the student's exam fees, and the
parents would have been deceived," he said.

Although the city administration announced last month that
both state and private elementary school students in the capital
would be exempt from paying this year's state final exam fees, a
decree from the central government to that effect has yet to be
issued.

However, the administration has reportedly allocated Rp 1.3
billion of the city budget to only free state elementary school
students from the state exam fees, while the fate of private
elementary schools is to be decided after the central government
issues a decree.

Rangkuti said it should be up to the administration to decide
whether to treat state and private elementary schools equally as
both institutions have the same function.

"Why should the administration wait for the central
government's decree to also exempt private school students (from
paying the state final exam fees)?

"Private schools have helped the administration provide seats
for students who have been rejected by state elementary schools,"
he said.

He said Islamic private schools were now using the same
uniform as state schools.

"The uniform of Islamic school students used to be
predominantly green. But now we use the same uniform as the state
schools do," he said.

Separately, Yenni Mirmaniza, principal of 01 Srengseng Sawah
Elementary School in South Jakarta told the Post that her school
had stopped collecting exam fees from students since the city
administration instructed state elementary schools to stop doing
so in 1999.

"I am afraid of collecting money from students because it is a
sensitive issue now. I don't have the heart to do so either," she
said.

She said her school managed to take their students for a
farewell picnic in Puncak, Bogor, last year as one student's
parents sponsored the trip.

"This school will not collect any money from students other
than the Rp 7,500 monthly school tuition," she said.

Similarly, Sutarti, principal of 03 Srengseng Sawah Elementary
School in Jagakarsa, South Jakarta, said her school had also
stopped collecting fees, other than the school tuition, from
students since 1999.

Some parents, however, said different things.

A mother whose daughter goes to a state elementary school in
South Jakarta said that as of September last year, the school had
collected Rp 25,000 per month from each student for exam fees.

"This includes funds to buy snacks and lunch for the teachers
who are on duty during the exams," she said.

She said that she learned from newspapers and television that
students would be exempt from the fees. "But it is all a big
lie," she said. "There is no way they will return the money."

"I asked a teacher about this and she said that the school had
not received any official information about the matter."

According to the City Education Agency a total of 141,742
elementary school students will sit for the state final exams
slated from June 11 to June 13. They comprise 97,654 state school
students and 44,088 private school students.

Jakarta has 2,423 state elementary schools and 2,248 private
elementary schools.

The exam cost of each elementary school student is Rp 18,200
($1.91), while that of each Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Islamic
elementary school student is Rp 29,000 ($3.05). (01/sim)