Training course on funerals

JAKARTA (JP): About 120 senior high school students began a week-long training course yesterday on funeral issues, a municipality spokesman said.

Kamaludin S. said the course, which is sponsored by the City Funeral Office, intends to give detailed information on how to process funeral administration, including retribution payment, grave ownership licenses, grave removals and grave renovations.

He said the training course would stop students from becoming bored during the school holiday.

"After the course, the students are expected to help disseminate information on funeral administration to the public," he said.

The course is the 13th to be held by the funeral office with 1,560 combined participants, he said.

He said that Jakarta, which covers 650 hectares and has a population of nine million people, only has 560 hectares for cemeteries.

By the year 2000, cemetery acreage is expected to increase to about 700 hectares to accommodate the rising population estimated at 12 million, he said. (hhr)