Students have finger on business pulse

Adisti Sukma Sawitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

While prices are rarely displayed on goods for sale in Jakarta, local high school students are experimenting with price tags to generate sales.

"Don't just stare - buy," read a price tag attached to a bottle of orange juice at a stall at SMA 24 state high school in Senayan, South Jakarta, last week.

In adjacent stalls, students were using similar sales tactics to sell key rings, handicrafts and snacks.

The stalls form part of a new initiative officially launched by students from state high schools SMA 1, SMA 7, SMA 15, SMA 24 and SMA 35 last Friday.

As part of the program -- named Prestasi Junior Indonesia (PJI) -- students have been encouraged to put their creative and entrepreneurial talents to use to make money at school.

"Business skills are important for young people as they can improve their prospects in the future," PJI's executive director for education, Marzuki Darusman, said.

The organization worked with the GE Foundation to set up the student companies and to provide business lessons to senior students at each school.

As an initial step, the foundation offered shares in the companies to teachers, parents and students at each school to generate capital.

Jiehan Herry Saputro, the president director of SMA 24 student company Pusaka 24, said his company started off with Rp 970,000 (approximately US$103) in capital to sell snacks, chocolates and pre-paid credit vouchers for cellular phones.

"It is fun and we have gained a 20-30 percent profit since September," he said.

The twelfth-grader, who hopes to study international relations in the future, said his company was also planning to sell popular albums from abroad.

"Former students who live abroad can help with this project," he said.

The only problem he and his fellow students faced, he said, was the fact they had limited time as they still had to attend classes.

PJI operational director Robert Gardiner said the key to success for the students was support from their teachers.

"It would be difficult for the students to succeed if their teachers did not encourage them in their business ventures," he said.

He said teachers should also play a part in the project by teaching students about basic accounting processes.