VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - The Jakarta provincial government plans to increase the number of junior high schools and high schools or vocational schools in densely populated areas to improve the quality of education for its residents.

"We plan to add more junior high schools and high schools or vocational schools. We need to do that," Jakarta Acting Governor Heru Budi Hartono stated when met in South Jakarta, Friday.

He explained that areas with spacious land will have a new school building in accordance with the requirement.

"Meanwhile, other areas, with limited land, will have two schools under one building. For example, elementary school combined with junior high school," Hartono stated.

In addition, a legislator of the Jakarta Regional House of Representatives (DPRD), Nurhasan, also supports the regional government's plan to open more schools in densely populated areas in order to improve the quality of residents' education.

"It is saddening to know there are many densely populated areas in the city lacking junior high schools to vocational schools," he pointed out at the DPRD Plenary Meeting in Jakarta on September 13.

Nurhasan drew attention to a dearth of junior high schools and high schools in areas, such as Pancoran in South Jakarta, Cakung in East Jakarta, Penjaringan in North Jakarta, Palmerah in West Jakarta, and Seribu Islands District.

He noted that fulfilling the obligation to provide a budget for the education sector should be clearly reflected in the changes to the 2023 regional budget fiscal year as an effort to solve the real problems in the community.

Moreover, the issue of equal distribution of educational services is always a challenge for Jakarta's residents, Nurhasan stated.

Based on data from the Jakarta Education Service, the number of students in Jakarta is dominated by those of state schools, reaching 986,699, or 51.98 percent of the total. Meanwhile, the number of private students reaches 911,381, or 48.02 percent.

Elementary and Islamic Elementary School (MI) students constitute the largest chunk of pupils in Jakarta, reaching 893,816, thereby indicating a wide gap as compared to 421,376 students of junior high schools and Islamic Junior High Schools (MTS) in Jakarta. (Antaranews)