T

he Jakarta Administration has taken a firm stance against bullying in school by prohibiting the tradition of harsh and degrading treatment of freshmen during the orientation period starting on Monday.

On the first day of class, state schools no longer applied the tradition of ordering new students to wear embarrassing paraphernalia such as oversized skirts or gunny sacks or undergoing psychological pressure.

Bima Pahlevi Pangestu, a new student at state high school SMA 3 Jakarta in Setia Budi, South Jakarta, said he had expected to receive silly orders or psychological abuse from his seniors. However, he said none of this occurred.

'€œThey only asked us to wear our junior high school uniforms and during the first day we got introduced to the school area,'€ Bima told The Jakarta Post at the school.

SMA 3 has a history of violence and bullying, which has persisted for years among its students. The school came into the spotlight in June last year, when 10th grader Arfiand Caesar Al Irhami died following an eight-day outing to Tangkuban Perahu in West Java, which was organized by the school'€™s mountaineering club.

Two weeks later, Padian Prawiro Dirya, also died in hospital while being treated following his participation in the same event. The incident resulted in a number of students and alumni receiving prison sentences.

'€œThis time the teachers have taken charge of the orientation program, we will not let the seniors conduct their own programs that could lead to violence,'€ SMA 3 principal Ratna Budiarti said.

However, a number of private schools still engaged in the traditional orientation rituals.

Maria Fatimah Bona, an employee with a private company, said her younger sister had been asked to wear colorful ribbons, hard-to-find biscuits and several unusual features on her first day at her private school in West Jakarta.

'€œThe orientation program committee also asked my sister to bring rice, eggs and some snacks, but she seemed fine with this,'€ she said.

Jakarta Education Agency head Arie Budhiman said on Monday that he had issued a letter, No. 5/2015, on orientation programs that required every principal to supervise their school'€™s orientation program.

Arie said he would not hesitate to punish principals who ignored the rule. '€œWe are focusing on public schools first and then we will pay more attention to the private schools,'€ he said

Separately, Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama said the city administration forbade seniors from bullying or using violence against their juniors during the orientation week. '€œAny students found to be bullying or using violence against others will be expelled,'€ Ahok said at City Hall on Monday.