Tragedy of primary education

Tragedy of primary 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