A

fter giving school students holidays during the 26th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, which will take place next week in the co-hosting city of Jakarta, the city administration will also give them free tickets to attend various sporting events at the Games.

City Education Agency head Taufik Yudi Mulyanto said that the Games’ organizers would provide a total of 38,500 tickets free of charge for Jakarta’s students.

“We are asking for more free tickets for our students,” Taufik said.

The agency chief said that the Indonesian SEA Games Organizing Committee (INASOC) would decide which schools would be given the free tickets.

“The schools will decide which students will have the tickets,” Taufik said.

Jakarta’s students will be given a five-day holiday from Nov. 14-18.

The holiday will not apply to elementary school sixth graders and junior and senior high school students, who are preparing for their final exams.

Schools are encouraged to give SEA Games-related homework to their students.

“This is so they can participate more in the Games. It could act as a form of support for our athletes and for the event,” Taufik said.

Students are also encouraged to attend the events and to support the Indonesian athletes.

With only a little more than a week before the opening of the Games, the public remain in the dark on ticket prices and availability. INASOC has yet to make an announcement on the matter.

The organizers have only announced that they would sell 10,000 tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies in Palembang, South Sumatra, which is the main host city of the Games. Tickets for these ceremonies will be sold for between Rp 500,000 and Rp 1 million (US$112).

INASOC chairwoman Rita Subowo said last week that the organizers were yet to decide the price of tickets for each event.

— JP/Andreas D. Arditya