Kota Kinabalu - Indonesian children now have a place to go to seek education provided by their government.
In a move to ensure that children of its citizens who work here are not denied their right to basic education, the Indonesian government has started a school at Alam Mesra in Likas, near here.
Indonesian Consul-general Rudhito Widagdo said yesterday that the school, Sekolah Indonesia Kota Kinabalu, began operations on Dec 1.
"The programme will introduce our nation`s education system to the children here," he said, adding that a total of 215 children aged between seven and 12 have been registered.
"They are the children of Indonesian citizens who work around the city, in Penampang and even from Tuaran." There are six classrooms at the school which will run morning and afternoon sessions.
"Children in years One, Two and Three will attend morning classes while those in years Four and Five will go in the afternoon."
The consulate will also request for a piece of land of between five and seven hectares from the state government to set up a proper school.
The Indonesian secretary to the directorate-general of the Primary and Secondary Education Management, Bambang Indriyanto, said that the school would use the same syllabus as that used in Indonesia.
The school will be headed by a headmaster and five teachers, he said and pointed out that presently the school could accommodate 324 pupils.
The Indonesian consulate estimates that are about 230,000 Indonesians working legally in Sabah.
There are also those who came here with their dependents.
The state government estimates that about half the number of foreigners who work in Sabah had brought along their dependents. Roy Goh
Source:
http://www.nst.com.my (December 17, 2008)