UI students boycott classes over extra fee

UI students boycott classes over extra fee

JAKARTA (JP): Thousands of students from the University of
Indonesia (UI) marked the first school day after a 10-week
holiday with a class boycott on Monday, following the
university's refusal to meet their demands to call off a policy
on an extra school fee.

Some of the students from the Salemba campus in Central
Jakarta joined their fellow friends at the Depok campus, south of
here, which is also home to the rectorate office of what is one
of the country's most prestigious state-owned universities.

The students, whose numbers reached around 10,000, could be
seen hanging around the classrooms during the boycott, dubbed by
many as the first of its kind at the campus.

Their lecturers were nowhere to be seen. But some students
said they were staying in their respective offices as they were
already aware of the boycott.

The protesting students also blockaded the main entrance gate
of the Depok campus, preventing cars from entering the area.

Several students marched around the campus, holding banners
and yelling to express their dissatisfaction with the policy,
which requires students from 1999 onward to pay an extra school
fee on top of the Rp 510,000 (US$60) tuition fee for a semester.

Some of their seniors, who are not actually required to pay
the fee, also joined the boycott to show their solidarity.

A group of some 20 police personnel were seen at several spots
near the entrance gate, closely monitoring the peaceful protest.

The extra fee, which was set up by the directorate and is
called the Education Quality Improvement Fund (DPKP), has been
set at Rp 1 million for students from the medical school, school
of engineering, and school of math and pure science; and Rp
750,000 for students of social sciences.

"We will continue boycotting the classes until the rectorate
cancels the DPKP," one of the students said.

Earlier, about 700 third-semester students refused to register
their attendance of classes this semester as they had to pay the
extra fee.

"We demand details on the use of the fund, which the rectorate
never provided us with. We also demand that the Ministry of
National Education establish a team, in which we are included as
members, to do an audit on the use of the fund," secretary of the
UI students executive board Indra Falatehan told The Jakarta
Post.

Prior to Monday's boycott, the students met with the rectorate
at Minister of National Education Yahya Muhaimin's office on
Friday to settle the matter, but the meeting reached a dead end.

At the meeting, the UI rectorate said the extra fee was needed
because UI was struggling to compensate for financial shortages
since government funding did not cover the average Rp 10 million
yearly cost for each student.

According to the rectorate, there are 14,000 to 15,000
students, who take S1 (bachelor) degrees at the university every
year.

Separately on Monday, director general for higher education
Satryo Soemantri said the government has allocated Rp 60 billion,
which represents some 80 percent of the entire fund for the
university, for S1 degree programs at UI.

"The government provides 80 percent of the educational funds
for S1 degrees in UI," Satryo told reporters at the ministry.

Similar to S1 students at other state universities across the
country, the UI students also receive an annual subsidy worth Rp
4 million each.

Last Tuesday, assistant to the UI rector for students affairs
Umar Mansur told the Post that to hold any kind of educational
programs at the university, the rectorate needed money regardless
of the source, including from the students.

Satryo said on Monday that according to a 1989 decree issued
by the Ministry of Finance on tuition fees at state-owned
universities, the rectorates of state universities are allowed to
collect funds from students in addition to official tuition fees.

"The amount of the extra fee should not exceed the official
tuition fee," Satryo said.

In certain cases, the amount of the extra fee could exceed the
tuition fee but only with the students' approval.

However, Satryo said, the universities should report details
of the use of the fund to the ministry.

"UI has not reported the DPKP yet. They told (us) about the
plan (to collect DPKP from students) but not the details," Satryo
said.

He said that he already told the inspector general of the
ministry to conduct an audit to determine whether the extra fee
should be applied to the students or not. The audit will begin
tomorrow, he added.

"Students will be included as a source," Satryo said.

"We hope that both sides (students and rectorate) can settle
this problem quickly. I believe none of the parties will
sacrifice the institution," Satryo said. (jaw)