Letter: Children expelled from school

Referring to an article titled “Jakarta Govt. urged to investigate cheating in schools”, (June 15), I really appreciate the efforts taken by the National Commission for Child Protection.

I would like to call your attention to one important issue at schools that may stop all such cheating and the injustice done to innocent children.

A few days back, an unfortunate incident happened to my two innocent children, who were expelled by the principal from his school, which he owns, just because of a personal grudge.

My children were not allowed to sit for final exams and the school even did not bother to give a proper certificate. Our children have lost one year and have to repeat the year.

The foremost important issue about schools is determining if they are legal and registered with the proper authorities and eligible and credible to operate professionally.

When we first went to complain, the first shocking thing we came to know was that this so-called international school was not registered as such with the ministry and when we checked with the local authority, we learned that the school was illegal.

It has operated illegally for the last 10 or 12 years. The school has no properly trained or certified teachers. Housewives were appointed as teachers without working permits. Such unregistered and so-called international schools charge parents fees at the international level. The efficiency and professionalism of such schools and teachers are low.

If children complain to any teacher about not understanding a particular subject that teacher harasses that child so afterwards the child stops complaining. This is how such unprofessional and unethical schools and teachers demoralize students and parents from complaining or taking action against them.

The future of our children is at stake. Take this comment as an earnest request to investigate such illegal schools and give justice to innocent children and their victim parents.

Kirti
Jakarta