UGM demands 'voluntary' donation

UGM demands 'voluntary' donation

My younger brother passed the selection test to join Gajah Mada University (UGM) held in Senayan, Jakarta. Before taking the test, my brother did not fill in the column on the registration form specifying the amount he would give as a voluntary donation. He comes from a poor family and would never be able to afford to pay a voluntary donation ranging between Rp 2 million and Rp 10 million.

When he saw the administration officer at the university in Yogyakarta on June 14, he was told that he would be accepted if he could pay Rp 10 million as a voluntary donation.

Yogyakarta is quite a long distance from Jakarta and the trip is expensive for a poor family. Why didn't UGM tell my brother before taking the test in Jakarta that he would be obliged to pay that amount after passing the selection test to be accepted as a student at this university. Why did the university call my brother to Yogyakarta even though he did not fill in the column about the voluntary donation on the registration form?

It seems that starting 2003 education is only for the rich. As in the colonial times, education can only be enjoyed by the privileged few. In Soeharto's times, education was not as expensive as it is today. The government must take action to ensure that education can be enjoyed by all and that eligibility is not determined by money.

DEWI M. SIMAMORA

Bekasi, West Java