Bogor elementary school turns into bat haven

Theresia Sufa , The Jakarta Post , Bogor | Fri, 02/22/2008 5:00 AM | City

Teachers and students of SDN Bhayangkari public elementary school have been forced to start their days earlier, cleaning up classrooms after their nocturnal co-inhabitants.

"Bats use the classrooms every night ... we have to clean up the dung and fruit seeds before classes begin," principal Sri Hartiningsih said Thursday.

The school, located inside the compound of a police mobile brigade detachment in Kedunghalang subdistrict, Bogor, has four dilapidated classrooms, three of which are used for the third, fourth and fifth grades (the last is used as a storeroom).

The three classrooms are damp and dark, and rely on electric lights during the day.

"Originally a garage for tanks, the four rooms were built in 1981 and have never been renovated.

"Two years ago we built new classrooms for first, second and sixth graders," Sri said.

There are more than 160 students at the school.

"We have proposed renovations to the Bogor municipality education agency," Sri said.

"We hope the school will be fixed soon."

There are two other public elementary schools in the police compound that will soon be demolished to make way for the detachment's new headquarters.

Head of the municipal education agency's primary education unit said students at SDN Cibuluh 6 and SDN Cibuluh 2, who are mostly children of brigade officers, would be moved to nearby SDN Cibuluh 5 and SDN Neglasari elementary schools.

Cibuluh 6 principal Sumiarti said they had agreed to move out by 2009, when construction was planned to begin.

"We don't mind ... the land is police property and the schools are right in the middle of their facility.

"Moving out is also good for students so they can make friends with children other than their neighbors," she said.

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