Bekasi's private schools have seen the number of students plummet in recent years.
nfurling banners and chanting slogans, about 100 private school principals staged a noisy protest at the Bekasi mayoral office recently.
They protested the city administration’s policy on public school enrollment because of the drastic fall in student numbers.
“We need new students to feed us,” one banner screamed. Others carried messages demanding that the mayor stop the enrollment system (or PPDB) that the teachers say has managed to get most students into state schools.
After two hours demonstrating, 10 teachers representing the protesters were allowed inside and they met with Education Agency head Inay Hidayatulah but they could not agree on anything.
The protest was triggered by the local administration’s decision to extend the period of enrollment to state schools, disregarding the objection raised by local private schools which have seen students numbers plummet in recent years.
SMP-SMA Putra Harapan junior and senior high school in Kayuringin subdistrict, for example, has only 10 students in its tenth grade class. Out of the 10, six were returnees from its ninth grade class and only four came from other schools. Last year, the classroom had 20.
Ratna Dewi, the school’s principal, said her tenth grade students looked unconfident and lacked motivation during the new student orientation because of their small number.
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