Parents Of Elementary School Students In Karawang Complain That Schools Are Required To Buy Books At Certain Stores

A number of parents of elementary school students in the Karawang Regency area, West Java, complained about the obligation to purchase textbooks to certain shops determined by the school.

"Buying textbooks almost every year. Even then, shops to buy books are determined by the school," said one resident of West Karawang District who did not want to be mentioned, quoted by ANTARA, Friday, July 21.

The price of the book package that must be purchased is still affordable, the total is IDR 150-200 thousand for the purchase of the package book.

But sometimes parents find it difficult to find a bookstore that has been determined by the school.

Chairman of the Indonesian Youth Movement, Victor Edison, regrets that there is still the practice of buying and selling books at public elementary schools in the midst of the government's presence of school operational assistance (BOS).

In its provisions, BOS funds can be used for various things, such as financing various school needs such as purchasing textbooks, paying teacher salaries, operating costs and expenses for extracurricular activities.

"This is very unfortunate. If the child is charged with buying a book, then what kind of BOS funds are used for," he said.

Even worse, he said, the shop for the purchase of textbooks was determined by the school. This is in accordance with reports received from parents of SDN Nagasari IV and SDN Nagasari V Karawang students.

Based on this information, Victor admitted that he had reported it to the Karawang Education Office and Regent Cellica Nurrachadiana.

The Regent hopes that the problem can be resolved quickly, because from the information received, almost all public elementary schools in Karawang ask parents to buy textbooks in predetermined stores.

He emphasized that the ranks of the Education Office as supervisors must be responsible for the sale of these textbooks whose stores have been determined by the school.

"Yes, this problem must be resolved immediately. Because every year, every new year of lessons, incidents always occur in Karawang," he said.

Regarding the incident of the purchase of textbooks whose shops have been determined by the school, the Karawang Education Office has not issued an official statement, although it has been contacted several times via cell phone.