University of Indonesia professor of sociology, Kamanto Sunarto, said on Thursday Muhadjir's controversial statement that harsh punishment could be applied at school "to some extent" in order to discipline students, could serve as a bad precedent especially since the minister had a crucial role as a senior figure in the education sector.

"We don't want teachers to feel that they are backed by the minister when they inflict corporal punishment. The minister should uphold the law [on children’s protection] without any compromise or tolerance," Kamanto said.

He asserted that the Culture and Education Ministry should guide teachers to seek a better approach to encouraging students to be disciplined without having to resort to violence. It was also a way to teach students not to bully their classmates.

Fidella Anandhita of the Gerakan Indonesia Mengajar (Indonesia Teaching Movement) concurred, saying the minister should instruct teachers to apply a positive disciplinary approach that did not teach children to obey by force, but instead through the consequences and consistency that were needed in their everyday lives, for example, telling them that they simply could not attend the class if they were late.

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