Sumber, West Java – At least 6000 students in the West Java city of Cirebon have been forced to drop out of elementary schools since January due to financial problems and individual values, local officials said on Tuesday.

The number of dropouts is expected to soar unless the local authorities take necessary measures to tackle the economic difficulties of low-income people in the regency, or rethink school fees for poor people.

Cirebon Regent H. Sutisna confirmed the figures, adding that the number of dropouts within junior and senior high schools is also alarmingly high. "But I don't know it exactly."

He said the rising numbers of dropouts were not only attributed to economic factors but also to the local people's lack of awareness of the importance of education, and therefore they did not prioritize it for their children.

"The rural people still believe that attending school is just a waste of time. Children mostly spend their time working in rice fields. We have to change such a view," he said.

Sutisna vowed to try his best to provide the Cirebon population of 1.9 million people with "better" education.