PRECIOUS GIFTS: Businessman Sofjan Wanandi (back row, second from the right) and his wife Riantini Suteja Wanandi (first from the right), along with Japan’s Ambassador to Indonesia Kojiro Shiojiri (third from the right), watch as students make magnetic souvenirs. (JP)
After suffering through floods nearly every rainy season for the past decade, students at South Jakarta's Foundation for the Rehabilitation of Disabled Children (YPAC) will now be able to enjoy dry classrooms all year round.
The school began a Rp 2 billion (US$218,000) renovation project last November to raise its building above the flood line and create new classrooms. The 54-year-old institution was officially reopened Monday by Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo.
"The school complex had been flooded now and then for around 10 years. The water sometimes rose as high as 70 cm. That's why we had to raise the buildings by a meter," said Titi Kanter, the head of the renovation project.
At the opening ceremony, more than 10 students played instruments, sang songs and danced as part of a welcome celebration for guests, among them Japan's Ambassador to Indonesia Kojiro Shiojiri, along with the wives of ambassadors to Indonesia from several countries and donors from the business sector.
The Japanese government donated $85,643 for the renovation, with the rest coming from various companies, including Hotel Mulia, Exxon and PT HM Sampoerna.
Ambassador Shiojiri hopes the school will now be free of leaking and flooding, he said at the ceremony. However, according to Governor Bowo, no immediate solution to flooding exists for the area because water runoff has been blocked by nearby buildings and construction. The administration has tried to dredge a small river that passes through the area.
YPAC has around 95 students, ranging from kindergarten to high school. The students, many of whom suffer from polio and cerebral palsy, have access to specialized classes such as speech therapy and physio- and hydrotherapy, the latter involving exercise in an indoor pool.
Students at YPAC also learn to perform daily activities without assistance, such as eating, drinking and dressing.
Up to now, the Jakarta administration has been paid the salaries of 24 of the school's 30 teachers, with the remainder funded by the school itself.
Students pay between Rp 150,000 and 200,000 a month, with a Rp 1.5 million registration fee. Low-income students receive instruction at no cost, thanks to a cross-subsidy method.
"We visit applicants' homes to see if they really need our help and we urge those with means to pay more to help subsidize those without resources," said Purnamawati, the head of the foundation.
In addition to promoting school donations, Jakarta's governor encouraged those willing to help to "adopt" destitute students, including paying for their school materials and fees, as a more direct means of assistance.
"My wife and I plan to adopt a few students soon and hopefully will add a few more each year. I'm sure there are many people out there who can afford to do the same," he said.
Septi Novida of the Jakarta Education Office said there were 5,427 special need students in Jakarta, receiving instruction from eight public and 82 private schools across the city. Students from poor families receive a government subsidy of up to Rp 215,000 a month. (mri)
