Government s Hands-Off Policy on Education

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:He said that this is evident in Government Decree chapter 48/2008 on Education Funding, signed by the President early July. It is mentioned several times in the decree that parents and guardians should take part in providing funds for childrens education, he said yesterday.In fact, one chapter clearly mentions that students and their parents or guardians should pay for education. Conversely, the 1945 Constitution chapter 31 article 2 say that all citizens have a right to a basic education and the government is responsible for funding it, said Utomo.The Indonesian Independent Teachers Federation vice secretary-general, Yanti Sriyulianti, said that many chapters in the decree are ignoring childrens rights. As example, she cited Septian Catur Wibowo, 13, whocommitted suicide because he was not accepted in a public school for his inability to pay the fees. The government should realize that our education is expensive and not children-friendly, she said.In his diary, Septian had written that he killed himself because he felt sorry for his parents who had to bear the cost of a private school for him.She said the fact that several chapters in the decree stressed students being responsible for their cost of education justifies child labor, and this clearly violates childrens rights.REH ATEMALEM SUSANTI