Children suffering from cancer are often forced to drop out of school as a result of being forced to spend long periods of time undergoing medical treatment.

But thanks to some major hospitals in Jakarta, in cooperation with several cancer foundations, children with cancer no longer have to give up on studying.

The Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital (RSCM) in Central Jakarta, for example, has two in-hospital schools, called Sekolah-ku (My school), to provide children with education while they undergo medical treatment. The rooms have tables and chairs and books on several bookshelves.

Rohim, an 18-year-old cancer patient, is one of the students who has been relying on Sekolah-ku for almost a year to continue his studies. Last year, he was diagnosed with an advanced level of leukemia and had to go back and forth between home and hospital for medical treatment, forcing him to take numerous breaks from his school in Cibitung, Bekasi.

'€œBut here, there are several teachers who teach me the school material. I could have had school exams several months ago. So I'€™m not left behind,'€ Rohim said. '€œI have to focus on my treatment, but it doesn'€™t mean I lose my education. After graduating [from high school], I want to be an entrepreneur and open an automotive business.'€

Sekolah-ku was established by the Indonesian Care for Cancer Kids Foundation (YKAKI) in 2007. The founder, Ira Soelistyo, said that all the teachers were from education or psychology schools.

'€œWe pay them, because they have to be able to follow the formal material and curriculum,'€ she said.

Many children with cancer, Ira said, were usually absent from their formal schools for between five months to two years, depending on their condition.

Sekolah-ku can also be found at Fatmawati Hospital in South Jakarta, Harapan Kita Mothers and Children'€™s Hospital in West Jakarta and the Gatot Subroto Army Central Hospital (RSPAD) in Central Jakarta.

Meanwhile, the Dharmais National Cancer Hospital has a small library for children with cancer in the children'€™s oncology ward on the 4th floor. The library also functions as a classroom where students can continue their studies while undergoing medical treatment.

The classroom was established in 2006 by Edi Setiawan Tehuteru, a pediatric oncologist at the hospital, with help from Jakarta-based communities supporting children with cancer, the Indonesian Children'€™s Yellow Ribbon Foundation (YPKAI) and the Indonesian Childhood Cancer Foundation (YOAI).

'€œWe want to facilitate the children'€™s education because it is their right. It also helps support their psychological treatment,'€ Edi said.

Edi said that they relied on volunteers, mostly from the YPKAI, to teach the children their school material.

Besides the in-hospital schools, Edi also designed the children'€™s ward to be a kid-friendly treatment ward.

The ward provides a play room complete with toys, a mini stage, a slide and two swings. The 12 treatment rooms in the ward are named after fruits and animals, such as Elephant Room and Apple Room.

Fadil, 5, played with toy balls with his mother in the play room one afternoon. He asked his mother, Heni, 34, whether the balls he threw had made it into the ring because he could not see anything.

Since last year, doctors diagnosed Fadil as having neuroblastoma. The cancer has spread to his eyes, causing blindness.

Heni said that over the past year her son had undergone several painful and tiring chemotherapy sessions. She was grateful to the children'€™s ward for creating a fun atmosphere.

For Edi, atmosphere is a crucial thing. '€œWe want to overcome the gloomy impression of cancer treatment for the children. It'€™s psychologically necessary for them. Curing the children isn'€™t only about medicine, but also about their psychological and social condition.'€(foy)

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