'Universities should not only be for rich people'

High school graduates wanting to continue on to university have just registered for admittance. Many people interviewed by The Jakarta Post consider university tuition fees too steep for them at a time when they are still trying to cope with the recession.

Gunawan Wibisono, 41, is a photographer for the public relations department at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII). He has two children, one in junior high school and one in high school. He lives in Bambu Apus subdistrict, Cipayung district, East Jakarta. He has lived in Jakarta since 1984.

One of my children is in third year at high school. I'd like him to go to university next year, but because university tuition fees are very expensive, I do not know whether I can afford it. How can I save millions of rupiah to pay for the so-called building money, desk money and other fees?.

I wish the government would pay serious attention to education, particularly for low-income families whose children have good grades. The government should subsidize them. If not, universities will be only for rich people.

Sitiawati, is deputy chairman of the Bandar Jaya Foundation, which focuses on heritage sites in the capital. She lives at Taman Villa Meruya, West Jakarta.

Education is indeed expensive, which is understandable as long as schools maintain high standards. Teachers should be paid well so that they can concentrate on their job. Education of poor people is the responsibility of the government.

I don't believe the government or the city administration has no money for an education subsidy for poor people. If the city administration can renovate the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle for billions of rupiah, it should be able to subsidize education for the poor.

What I don't understand is why the city administration spends lots of money for unimportant things and ignores urgent things like education. Although it sounds like a cliche, I still say that preparing the young generation with a good education is the most urgent thing in any nation.

As we know many teenagers sing on city buses. This isn't because they don't deserve to receiving an education, but because they have don't have the opportunity.

Suyoto, an employee of a private company who lives at Pondok Aren, Tangerang. His eldest son took an entrance test at a Jakarta university recently. He is now scrapping together at least Rp 6 million to pay for the tuition.

Frankly speaking, I cannot deny that higher education now costs a fortune. It's very expensive for a father from the lower- middle class group like me. But that's life.

In this respect, I'm not talking about loss and gain. It is the parents' responsibility to put their children through school despite financial difficulties. Education undoubtedly is a life- long investment.

But I disagree with public opinion that an expensive college is always good, or less reputable universities lack quality. Education cannot be measured by the physical benchmark alone, but rather the student's ability to adapt and learn the subjects.

So, I'm allowing my son the freedom to choose what he thinks best suits his capabilities. I will just encourage him to be responsible for his decision.

Rosmayanti, 47, a mother of three children. Her daughter has secured a place in the law school at the University of Sam Ratulangi in Manado, North Sulawesi, through a special program.

Thank God my daughter has secured a place at a state university. State universities offer a relatively qualified education at an affordable price.

I paid Rp 5 million for the initial fees for a new student, including the education fee of some Rp 600,000 for the first semester, for uniforms and several programs for newcomers. My daughter is supposed to pay more for the development fee.

It is still affordable for my family, although it's relatively expensive for some people. However, I don't think I could send my daughter to a reputable private university if she was not accepted at a state university.

The fee of a reputable law school at a private university here reaches Rp 1 million per semester and is subject to fees for exams. It would be too expensive for our family as we have to finance two university students, while my youngest child will graduate from high school in two years.