Tragedy of education

Tragedy of education

From Bisnis Indonesia

A heartrending report said recently that a 12-year-old primary school student had committed suicide, because he could not pay for an extracurricular activity that cost only Rp 2,500.

It was a fact not fiction, just as the news that many rural communities can no longer afford to buy rice for their meals, so they have to eat tiwul (dried cassava) instead.

Meanwhile, there are projects worth billions of rupiah, let alone the plan to make replicas of footprints of presidents or statesmen, and the procurement of goods and services for the next general elections.

Can the Minister of National Education still account for the claim that education in this country gives priority to the public at large?

And the most important question is: Isn't President Megawati Soekarnoputri, whose party used to be the mouthpiece of the common people, aware of this at all?

TAUFIK KARMADI Jakarta