UGM's fantastic admission fees

UGM's fantastic admission fees

From Koran Tempo

Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University (UGM) has set admission fees for enrollments through the regional development seeding program at Rp 25-100 million and for new candidates at Rp 20 million.

This is one of the results of reform beyond proper limits. Bureaucrats can now determine practically everything at will, with the majority becoming the victims of such policies.

To my knowledge, more than 40 percent of the Indonesian population could be categorized as poor, while in terms of intelligence, probably 70 percent of these people are smart. How can they develop and improve their welfare? Do they have to become high school dropouts?

The high fees are a big barrier to entering university and don't include the extra money students have to pay for tuition charges. Upon completion of their studies, they will have to recover all their costs through employment -- another problem.

Their plight should not be treated differently from legislative candidates, who make advance payments to get elected, only to recover some of that money later after they win their seats. Perhaps a similar scheme could be created for students.

A good government should appreciate the talents of ordinary people.

RUDI SETIAWAN Jakarta