Australia Builds 17 New Secondary Schools in South Kalimantan

Australia’s Deputy Head of Mission to Indonesia, Ms Louise Hand, today officiated at a ceremony in Banjarbaru to inaugurate one of 17 junior secondary schools (SMP) the Australian Government is building in South Kalimantan.

Ms Hand said the new schools were part of the Rp2,5 trillion Australian Government program to build or expand 2000 schools in Indonesia, across 20 provinces, from 2006-2009.

“Up to 1225 of these schools are expected to be completed by early 2008,” Ms Hand said during the inauguration ceremony at SMPN 13 Cempaka, Banjarbaru.

“This year, we have funded the construction of 10 secondary schools in South Kalimantan and another seven schools will be built here next year,” she said.

“I am delighted to know that all ten schools built this year are brand new, and that local students were able to start classes in these new facilities when the 2007 school term began.”

The Australian Government program, developed in consultation with the Ministries of National Education and Religious Affairs, aims to create more than 330,000 new junior secondary school (SMP) places for 13 to 15 year olds by mid-2009, targeting children from poor and remote areas.

Around 500 of the 2000 schools being built or expanded are private Madrasah Tsanawiyah, under the supervision of the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

Local people are building the schools using locally supplied materials. The school sites have been selected based on assessments of unmet demand, enrolment rates and community involvement.

Ms Hand said some schools built under the program would be invited to participate in a planned ‘sister school’ arrangement with Australian schools.

She hoped this new program would facilitate exchanges between Australian and Indonesian school communities and “strengthen further the extensive people-to-people links between our two countries”.

Information for media:
Mia Salim (Senior Public Affairs Officer) – 0812 107 0237