Klaten schools may have to borrow to keep open: Official

Schools in Klaten regency, Central Java may have to take out loans to keep open due to a change in the regulation for releasing the central government's School Operational Aid (BOS) funds, an official says.

“The new BOS disbursement mechanism has caused massive delays simply because the disbursement process is more complicated,” Klaten Education Agency operations chief Mochammad Isnaini said on Friday as quoted by kompas.com.

Schools were now required to complete liability statements before getting the money, according to Isnaini, which required extra effort and led to problems, as most local school employees did not have the skills needed to complete the reports.

“I’ve received complaints from many schools about this. I suggest they borrow some money from cooperatives to keep teaching,” Isnaini said.

He suggested the central government should reconsider disbursing funds as it did previously to ensure schools received money in time.