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City secretary regrets PLN's school power cuts, urges better school budgeting
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A technician with state-owned electricity company PLN checks the meter at a house in Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)
J
akarta administration secretary Saefullah has expressed regret over state electricity company PLN’s cutting power to West Jakarta schools because of their late payments.
Saefullah said that PLN was to tolerate the schools, which were only a month late in paying their electricity bills.
“We have had a good relationship with PLN so far, there has not been any chronic debt. Being a little late in payment is likely due to the [schools'] budgeting, which PLN should have understood,” he told reporters at City Hall on Wednesday.
(Read also: PLN cuts power to three high schools in West Jakarta)
Saefullah said that PLN should have been more lenient in the matter, especially in connection with education, adding that PLN’s substations using the capital's electrical assets had never been a problem.
“PLN uses many of our assets for its substations. They should have been more understanding and not simply cut off the power [and] disrupting the learning and teaching processes, which sometimes involve using computers. This is not an appropriate decision,” he said as quoted by tribunnews.com.
Saefullah also said he hoped that the schools' administration could better manage the Education Operational Fund, which was disbursed once every three months, to prevent the situation from reoccurring.
“Schools should have better budgeting. They must plan all expenses for every three months and allocate alternative funds,” Saefullah said. (dra)
