Marabahan, South Kalimantan (ANTARA) - Head of Barito Kuala (Batola) Education Office Aris Saputera stated based on the latest data from 75,672 school age children in the district there are still 4,975 children included in the non-school children (ATS) data.
"The out-of-school children consist of children who dropped out of school or have not yet finished, such as not having graduated from SD (elementary) or SMP (junior). Then, children who did not continue their education, such as graduating from SD not continuing to SMP, and children who have never attended school," he noted in a press release on Tuesday.
Aris Saputera said that the office is currently verifying the 4,975 ATS data.
"Is it true according to the category, children never go to school or graduated but didn't continue their education," he said.
There are several factors that cause ATS, he said, one of which is economic problems.
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"We hope that this ATS figure can decrease at least 10 percent. We are now verifying the data and later the solutions we make into programs can back up ATS problems," he said.
Aris Saputera said the Batola government through his office is trying to solve the problems of out-of-school children (ATS).
He expounded that school participation figure is the authority of the district, especially in PAUD (early childhood education), TK (kindergarten), SD (elementary school), SMP (junior high school) and equivalency or package school units.
Meanwhile, acting Regent of Batola Dinansyah handed over awards to three students from Barito Kuala, who were winners of 2024 Banjar Language Tunas Bangsa Ibu Festival, Monday (November 18, 2024).
They won first place in writing poetry in Banjar Language at SD level, first winner for writing short stories in Banjar Language at SD level, and second winner in Banjar Language Storytelling Competition at SMP level.
These champions will represent South Kalimantan at the 2025 National Banjar Language Festival in Jakarta.
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