Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang
Schools are the latest neighborhood residents to be evicted from the future site of Tangerang's business center, following the relocation of the Cikokol market a few months back.
The Tangerang municipal administration is sacrificing education in the name of business interests with its plan to relocate two schools to make way for the business center on Jl. Sudirman, Cikokol, critics say.
The two state elementary schools, SDN Sukasari No.4 and SDN Sukasari No.5, will be relocated despite strong objections from teachers and parents.
"The administration informed us of its plan to relocate the schools last year, but we don't know when it will actually happen," Qomaruddin, the principal of SDN 4, said Wednesday.
School officials have no choice but to leave the decision to the whims of the administration, as only it can authorize the relocation, Qomaruddin added.
Developer PT Panca Karya Griyatama will build the Rp 1.5 trillion Mega City business center on seven hectares of land formerly occupied by the Cikokol traditional market. The center will include a large shopping mall, office buildings and apartment complexes.
Head of the municipal development planning board Dadang Durrahman said the two schools would be relocated by the end of the year.
"They will be moved to Babakan subdistrict, near the public library, which is only 500 meters from their present location," he added.
A number of parents expressed their dissatisfaction with the plan, saying the administration had been swayed by business interests.
"It's hard to believe the administration of Wahidin Halim (the incumbent mayor), which has been so committed to improving education standards, is letting developers run the schools out just to put up a shopping mall," said Nani, a parent of an SDN 4 student.
Although teachers and parents reject the administration's plans, they hope the schools will be relocated sooner rather than later, as scholastic activities have been disrupted for nearly a year because of the project, she added.
Edy Ham, a councilor at the municipal legislative council said his organization had yet to receive word about the relocation plan.
"If relocation is unavoidable, the administration should ask the developer to move the schools to an equally strategic location, so as not to inconvenience students and their parents -- because right now, the present position is very strategic," he added.
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