Taken from ‘Bungklang Bungkling’, ‘Pendidikan’, featured in Bali Post, Sunday, 3rd May 2009,
a column by I Wayan Juniartha
Translated by Putu Semiada
It is very hard being students these days because you have to have enough money to support your study.
When you have the money, you have no problem in paying school fee, school building maintenance cost, books, tours, pilgrimage trip, field trip and other things that cost you.
But when you don’t, you have to go to ‘inferior’ school. You can’t go to favourite school unless you are very very bright. They allow you to go to the ‘favourite’ school so that one day they can claim that your success is because of them.
It does happen when you win a competition, the teachers will instantly claim that they have succeeded in doing their job.
But if you are a naughty student, drug-addicted, or often fight on the street, they will dismiss you from the school. No teachers want to be said to be failing to do their job.
So they will only pick up the good, the smart, and the rich ones. On the other hand, they don’t really accept the bad, poor and not smart ones. And if you are both poor and not really smart, never dream you can go to a good school. Just accept what you get.
“Wait a minute. What are talking about? Don’t you know that school is free now? The government has launched school for free program which they will cover all the school cost. Isn’t that a good news for the unprivileged students?” asks I Made Ing Arso Sok Kuoso.
Everybody is laughing having heard what I Made said. They all know that I Made is an educated person but he doesn’t really understand what is going on in the real situation.
“Made, you only got information from reading newspapers and watching television. Of course the government only say the ideal things. That’s why you need to go out sometime and meet the students’ parents. You will find out that it’s all bullshit,” says I Ketut Ing Madyo Plintat Plintut.
Everybody knows that the loan from the government is not smoothly released and some is often ‘taken’ by the officials. So if the school only rely on the government loan, they would not be able to support themselves in renovating and maintaining their school buildings.
If everything is free, you can imagine what will happen to business-oriented schools that accept students as many as they can accommodate during the school new year. Because the more students they get, the more money they earn. And if everything is free, the teachers who usually give extra lessons to the students will loose their side income as well.
“Don’t worry, they will always try to find the way how to make their ‘business’ survive,” says I Ketut.
“I am sure that this program will be protested by the ‘favourite schools,” says I Putu Tut Wuri Begal Sasai.
The ‘favourite’ schools we referring are the ones which have beautiful gates, sometimes more beautiful than the temples do, but when we look at their library, it’s empty (not many books). They also have fancy Saraswati and Ganesha statues, but ironically the teachers cheat by giving the key answers to the students during the national examination. They cheat just for the shake of ‘reputation’; because if all the students pass the examination, people will think that the teachers are doing good job. The ‘favourite’ schools are also the ones which have storey buildings, but strangely their teachers ask the students to take extra lessons at private study centres outside the schools; they are also the schools in which their students win many competitions, but when they are grown up most of them become bad people (corruptors, etc).
“You know, maintenance for such school is very expensive. Even the master’s room is air-conditioned and has wide screen TV. So where do you think the money come from unless from the students.”
That’s why only the students from rich families are able to go to the ‘favourite’ school. And if you look at the school parking area, you will find many luxurious cars parked there.
The conclusion is that school for free program is just a lip service. The children from poor families will never have a chance to go to good school.
a column by I Wayan Juniartha
Translated by Putu Semiada
SCHOOL
It is very hard being students these days because you have to have enough money to support your study.
When you have the money, you have no problem in paying school fee, school building maintenance cost, books, tours, pilgrimage trip, field trip and other things that cost you.
But when you don’t, you have to go to ‘inferior’ school. You can’t go to favourite school unless you are very very bright. They allow you to go to the ‘favourite’ school so that one day they can claim that your success is because of them.
It does happen when you win a competition, the teachers will instantly claim that they have succeeded in doing their job.
But if you are a naughty student, drug-addicted, or often fight on the street, they will dismiss you from the school. No teachers want to be said to be failing to do their job.
So they will only pick up the good, the smart, and the rich ones. On the other hand, they don’t really accept the bad, poor and not smart ones. And if you are both poor and not really smart, never dream you can go to a good school. Just accept what you get.
“Wait a minute. What are talking about? Don’t you know that school is free now? The government has launched school for free program which they will cover all the school cost. Isn’t that a good news for the unprivileged students?” asks I Made Ing Arso Sok Kuoso.
Everybody is laughing having heard what I Made said. They all know that I Made is an educated person but he doesn’t really understand what is going on in the real situation.
“Made, you only got information from reading newspapers and watching television. Of course the government only say the ideal things. That’s why you need to go out sometime and meet the students’ parents. You will find out that it’s all bullshit,” says I Ketut Ing Madyo Plintat Plintut.
Everybody knows that the loan from the government is not smoothly released and some is often ‘taken’ by the officials. So if the school only rely on the government loan, they would not be able to support themselves in renovating and maintaining their school buildings.
If everything is free, you can imagine what will happen to business-oriented schools that accept students as many as they can accommodate during the school new year. Because the more students they get, the more money they earn. And if everything is free, the teachers who usually give extra lessons to the students will loose their side income as well.
“Don’t worry, they will always try to find the way how to make their ‘business’ survive,” says I Ketut.
“I am sure that this program will be protested by the ‘favourite schools,” says I Putu Tut Wuri Begal Sasai.
The ‘favourite’ schools we referring are the ones which have beautiful gates, sometimes more beautiful than the temples do, but when we look at their library, it’s empty (not many books). They also have fancy Saraswati and Ganesha statues, but ironically the teachers cheat by giving the key answers to the students during the national examination. They cheat just for the shake of ‘reputation’; because if all the students pass the examination, people will think that the teachers are doing good job. The ‘favourite’ schools are also the ones which have storey buildings, but strangely their teachers ask the students to take extra lessons at private study centres outside the schools; they are also the schools in which their students win many competitions, but when they are grown up most of them become bad people (corruptors, etc).
“You know, maintenance for such school is very expensive. Even the master’s room is air-conditioned and has wide screen TV. So where do you think the money come from unless from the students.”
That’s why only the students from rich families are able to go to the ‘favourite’ school. And if you look at the school parking area, you will find many luxurious cars parked there.
The conclusion is that school for free program is just a lip service. The children from poor families will never have a chance to go to good school.
