0 East Java Town Will Not Close Catholic Schools at Risk

After a meeting with municipal authorities in the East Java town of Blitar, the vicar general of the Surabaya Archdiocese, Father Didik, said they had agreed to drop efforts by the city to close six Roman Catholic schools there. City authorities had sought the closure of the schools after they failed to comply with a city regulation requiring them to provide their Muslim students with Islamic classes. 

Samanhudi Anwar, the mayor of Blitar, had asked administrators of the foundation that manages the schools to offer Islamic studies to their students and issued a decree requiring each Muslim student in the city of Blitar to be able to read the Koran. The decree was based on a law which stipulates that every student is entitled to receive education in accordance with his or her religion. City authorities later sent warning letters to six schools — one kindergarten, two primary schools, two high schools and one vocational high school, accusing them of violating the decree. 

They were given a deadline of this upcoming Saturday to comply or face the revocation of their operating licenses. The House of Representatives and the government later pushed for a settlement to the case. Father Didik said on Thursday that the management of the Yohanes Gabriel Foundation managing the schools had met with Blitar’s Religious Affairs Office to discuss the case and had finally arrived at an agreement. 

Under the accord, the schools are to supply competent teachers that will provide Islamic religious classes for its Muslim students, albeit outside of their schools. “The technical implementing regulations for this activity will be prepared together,” Father Didik said. “Therefore there will be no school closures,” he added.

source : the jakarta globe