Several students are playing in the schoolyard while a boy in a worn-out T-shirt watches them from afar.
From the look in his eyes, it is clear that he really wants to join them. But going to school is only a dream because he has to help his parents scavenging for recyclable items from garbage cans.
“If only I did not have to scavenge I would be able to go to school,” he said softly.
That is a TV commercial calling for the public to pay taxes to help the government alleviate poverty, a plague that prevents many children in the country from enjoying an education. Like individuals, companies can also lend a hand. With their CSR programs, companies can give significant contribution that help the government achieve the target of primary education for all by 2015, as mentioned in the Millennium Development Goals.
Under the MDGs initiative, all stakeholders, including the private sector, are expected to be engaged in improving the access and expanding the learning opportunities to all school-aged children, especially those in poor areas and rural areas.
During President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s administration, 20 percent of the state budget is allocated for education. School Operational Aid is offered so that students can enjoy a free education as part of the efforts to implement the nine-year compulsory education program.
Unfortunately, about 2.2 million children of compulsory school age (between seven and 15 years old) do not go to school due to various reasons, including poverty, difficult access to school and parents’ low awareness about the need for education. The worst condition is found in remote areas.
“Besides the huge number of children who do not go to school, the dropout rate here is also high, reaching about 50 percent,” Sudiyanto, principle of SDN Kartamulia 1 state elementary school in Sukamara regency, Central Kalimantan, was quoted recently by Kompas as saying. Many children in the regency, as well as many under-developed regions in the country, drop out of school as they have to work to help their parents. It is also common for students to walk more than an hour to reach a schoolhouse, which might also be in poor condition.
Thousands of dilapidated school buildings are badly in need of renovation or reconstruction.
In remote areas, a teacher might have to teach more than one class. Another problem that also needs to be seriously addressed is the poor quality of teachers.
Indeed, many things need to be done to improve education in the country. While the government has an obligation to work on the matter, companies could share the burden.
Coordinating Public Welfare Minister Agung Laksono has called upon the private sector to play an active part in coping with the problems.
“It seems that the state budget for education is not enough to achieve the national target of education for all, therefore all parties are expected to lend a hand,” he said recently.
As a matter of fact, many companies have conducted various activities under their CSR programs to improve education in the country.
Astra Group is one that puts education, along with economic empowerment, on its top priority list of the CSR activities. This year alone it has allocated more than Rp 110 billion (about US$12.2 million) for its CSR programs in education, increasing from Rp 97 billion last year.
Astra, a recipient of an award from the National Education Minister, has conducted programs to improve the education of children near its headquarters in North Jakarta, as well as those in disaster-hit areas like Aceh, Yogyakarta, West Java and West Sumatra.
Besides providing scholarships for needy students, the company has also renovated school buildings and offered programs to improve teachers’ competency.
Conoco Philips, an oil and gas contractor, provides scholarships for needy children, gives English courses for teachers and also builds school buildings in the areas where it operates, including in Anambas regency in Riau Islands.
CIMB Niaga also took part in the reconstruction of several elementary school buildings in areas that were hit by earthquakes last year, including Padang, West Sumatra, and Tasikmalaya, West Java.
CSR is good not only for those who receive the support but also for the companies. It boosts the companies’ image as the public will appreciate their commitment in social activities instead of merely focusing on generating profits.
Some companies lend their support for education directly to schools while others show their commitment by working in cooperation with certain foundations, such as the Putera Sampoerna Foundation.
This year, according to the foundation, 17 corporations, both local and multi-national, began partnerships with the foundation in support of education.
Established in 2001, the foundation has trained 14,000 teachers, adopted 24 schools and granted more than 32,000 scholarships, from elementary to graduate levels, to increase access to quality education to financially disadvantaged students.
From the look in his eyes, it is clear that he really wants to join them. But going to school is only a dream because he has to help his parents scavenging for recyclable items from garbage cans.
“If only I did not have to scavenge I would be able to go to school,” he said softly.
That is a TV commercial calling for the public to pay taxes to help the government alleviate poverty, a plague that prevents many children in the country from enjoying an education. Like individuals, companies can also lend a hand. With their CSR programs, companies can give significant contribution that help the government achieve the target of primary education for all by 2015, as mentioned in the Millennium Development Goals.
Under the MDGs initiative, all stakeholders, including the private sector, are expected to be engaged in improving the access and expanding the learning opportunities to all school-aged children, especially those in poor areas and rural areas.
During President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s administration, 20 percent of the state budget is allocated for education. School Operational Aid is offered so that students can enjoy a free education as part of the efforts to implement the nine-year compulsory education program.
Unfortunately, about 2.2 million children of compulsory school age (between seven and 15 years old) do not go to school due to various reasons, including poverty, difficult access to school and parents’ low awareness about the need for education. The worst condition is found in remote areas.
“Besides the huge number of children who do not go to school, the dropout rate here is also high, reaching about 50 percent,” Sudiyanto, principle of SDN Kartamulia 1 state elementary school in Sukamara regency, Central Kalimantan, was quoted recently by Kompas as saying. Many children in the regency, as well as many under-developed regions in the country, drop out of school as they have to work to help their parents. It is also common for students to walk more than an hour to reach a schoolhouse, which might also be in poor condition.
Thousands of dilapidated school buildings are badly in need of renovation or reconstruction.
In remote areas, a teacher might have to teach more than one class. Another problem that also needs to be seriously addressed is the poor quality of teachers.
Indeed, many things need to be done to improve education in the country. While the government has an obligation to work on the matter, companies could share the burden.
Coordinating Public Welfare Minister Agung Laksono has called upon the private sector to play an active part in coping with the problems.
“It seems that the state budget for education is not enough to achieve the national target of education for all, therefore all parties are expected to lend a hand,” he said recently.
As a matter of fact, many companies have conducted various activities under their CSR programs to improve education in the country.
Astra Group is one that puts education, along with economic empowerment, on its top priority list of the CSR activities. This year alone it has allocated more than Rp 110 billion (about US$12.2 million) for its CSR programs in education, increasing from Rp 97 billion last year.
Astra, a recipient of an award from the National Education Minister, has conducted programs to improve the education of children near its headquarters in North Jakarta, as well as those in disaster-hit areas like Aceh, Yogyakarta, West Java and West Sumatra.
Besides providing scholarships for needy students, the company has also renovated school buildings and offered programs to improve teachers’ competency.
Conoco Philips, an oil and gas contractor, provides scholarships for needy children, gives English courses for teachers and also builds school buildings in the areas where it operates, including in Anambas regency in Riau Islands.
CIMB Niaga also took part in the reconstruction of several elementary school buildings in areas that were hit by earthquakes last year, including Padang, West Sumatra, and Tasikmalaya, West Java.
CSR is good not only for those who receive the support but also for the companies. It boosts the companies’ image as the public will appreciate their commitment in social activities instead of merely focusing on generating profits.
Some companies lend their support for education directly to schools while others show their commitment by working in cooperation with certain foundations, such as the Putera Sampoerna Foundation.
This year, according to the foundation, 17 corporations, both local and multi-national, began partnerships with the foundation in support of education.
Established in 2001, the foundation has trained 14,000 teachers, adopted 24 schools and granted more than 32,000 scholarships, from elementary to graduate levels, to increase access to quality education to financially disadvantaged students.
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