T

he story of 13-year-old Tasripin, who looks after himself and three younger siblings has caught the imagination of many people, both at home and abroad, including President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono himself.

Tasripin lives in Gunung Lurah village, Banyumas, Central Java. When his mother died in a landslide, Tasripin had to drop out of elementary school to take care of his younger siblings.

The boy was forced to work as a farmhand to support his siblings due to the uncertain amount of remittance from his father, Kuswito, 41, who left his four children alone for almost a year, while he worked on an oil palm plantation in Kalimantan.

Tasripin became the focus of public attention when the media exposed his life story. Many people were touched by his tale and provided plenty of aid, including the Banyumas Military District Command chief Lt. Col. Helmi Tachejadi Soerjono who deployed dozens of his troops to renovate Tasripin'€™s house.

When he became aware of the youngsters plight, SBY joined the campaign and provided cash assistance to the children.

'€œI urge all village heads in Banyumas to be aware of the true condition of the community. There must not be a second Tasripin,'€ said Banyumas Regent Achmad Husein, who has been in his position for less than a month.

Husein said his office had apologized to Tasripin'€™s family ignoring Tasripin'€™s suffering.

Tasripin'€™s struggle shocked the public it was revealed, presented by the press as if it was a rare occurrence.

'€œTasripin is among millions of children experiencing more or less the same fate. Millions of children in Indonesia are deprived of education and deserve serious attention from the government,'€ sociopolitical lecturer at Purwokerto'€™s Jenderal Soedirman University Ahmad Sabik told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

He added that it was fine that Yudhoyono, Achmad Husein and other agencies had paid more attention to Tasripin but the most important thing was to ensure that there were national policies to address problems faced by other Tasripins.

'€œThe take-home message from the Tasripin affair is how, at all levels of administration, policies can systematically overcome poverty and provide education for children in Indonesia,'€ Sabik said.

'€œI was the vice regent for the last five years and I was not given an important role, only ceremonial roles delegated by the previous regent. Now, I promise I will make efforts not to repeat the same mistakes,'€ said Husein.

In the past five years, Banyumas has been busily involved in urban development, including shopping malls and star-rated hotels but has neglected economic empowerment programs.

Husein added that early in his tenure he introduced a health card program so that poor residents can access healthcare.

The regent has instructed Banyumas Education Agency to register elementary school students from poor families so they can get support for enrolment in junior high schools.

Tasripin continues to receive aid from various parties and has so far accumulated Rp 40 million (US$4,110), excluding Yudhoyono'€™s cash.