Twin teachers get award but schools face eviction

Twin teachers get award but schools face eviction

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

While Sri Rossiati and Sri Irianingsih, who are fondly called Ibu
Kembar (Twin Mothers), received an award on Monday from President
Megawati Soekarnoputri in commemoration of Women's Day, their
work to provide free education to poor children has not been
recognized by the city administration.

"I'm happy to receive the award from the government, but I'm
also sad because all our schools in Jakarta face eviction," Sri
Irianingsih, or Rian, told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

The twins have five Sekolah Kartini across the city. Four of
them are under elevated toll roads in Ancol, Rawa Bebek and Pluit
in North Jakarta and in Tambora, West Jakarta. Another one is on
the side of the railway track in Angke, West Jakarta.

Students of Sekolah Kartini in Rawa Bebek have moved their
desks and chairs from their school to a vacant field next to a
musholla (prayer house) across from the school. They erected a
plastic tent to protect themselves from heat and rain.

But on Monday, the tent flapped loose in strong winds. No
students were present as the school was closed due to the
awarding ceremony.

"We will fix the tent tomorrow and continue to study there. If
we study inside the school, I'm afraid of a sudden eviction,"
Rian said, adding that she had received a letter from toll road
operator PT Jasa Marga to vacate the area within 108 days.

The administration argued that it would clear areas under toll
roads throughout the city to keep the roads safe.

"I forget the exact deadline but I assume the eviction will be
one of these days," Rian said. "The other four schools are also
facing eviction as they stand illegally on plots of land."

"We are looking for a plot of vacant land to buy so our school
will not be evicted in the future. We need around Rp 450 million
(US$52,941) to purchase a 300-square-meter plot of land in Sunter
Jaya (North Jakarta)," she added.

Rian said they had collected only Rp 100 million so far.

She regretted not being able to talk personally to Megawati
about her schools facing eviction.

"If only she (Megawati) knew, she would have helped us, of
course."

Rian and Rossi teach around 1,000 students from preschool to
high school in the five schools every day.

"Every Saturday, we teach students in Bantar Gebang (dump site
in Bekasi). Some of the students there are trained by doctors and
nurses to become nurses," Rian said.

In other schools, the students take courses like sewing.

"It's important for the poor to get a free education to help
improve their quality of life," Rian said. "A lot of my female
students are also sex workers. I had hoped I could say all these
things to the President."

The twins received a Honorary Certificate in Education for
Raising Students' Awareness of the Importance of Education in
Slum Areas.

Meanwhile, the Center on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE)
international institution warned the Indonesian government and
the city administration to respect housing rights, following its
Housing Rights Violator Award to Indonesia last month.

In a letter dated Dec. 10 and sent to, among others, Vice
President Hamzah Haz and Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso, COHRE's
deputy editor Jean du Plessis regretted the frequent evictions in
Jakarta and urged the government to respect people's rights as
guaranteed in the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel,
Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment that Indonesia
ratified on Oct. 28, 1998.