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Bullying of teachers serious issue: Teachers’ association
A recent viral video of junior high school students in Cilincing, North Jakarta, dancing around their women teacher while waving money and chanting has demonstrated that bullying does not only occur between teenagers
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recent viral video of junior high school students in Cilincing, North Jakarta, dancing around their women teacher while waving money and chanting has demonstrated that bullying does not only occur between teenagers.
The teacher remains calm and is silent in the video as she collects her books from a table.
The video was posted by the popular instagram account @lambe_turah on March 22 and has received almost 3 million views.
The Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) has investigated the incident and found that the teacher was a contract teacher who had worked at the school for 7 months and was paid Rp 600,000 (US$42) per month.
In a press statement on Wednesday, the KPAI said that all related parties had been summoned by the North Jakarta Education Agency for clarification.
After a meeting at the school on March 25 with the students and their parents, in which the students showed remorse, cried and apologized to the teacher, the school decided not to pursue punishment.
“Considering they are 9th grade students who will sit national examinations, the school decided not to pursue the case,” KPAI commissioner Retno Listyarti said in the statement.
However, the education agency reprimanded the school and told it to improve its management.
Retno said she appreciated the decision saying that it was the right approach.
Separately, Indonesian Teachers Association (PGRI) chairwoman Unifah Rosyidi said bullying of teachers was becoming increasingly prevalent as students had easier access to information, although the PGRI has yet to collect data on the issue. Unifah said in the digital era, students also tried to gain the attention of others in inappropriate ways, adding that they believed they could use social media to bully their teachers and gain viral exposure without consequences.
“Some of them think they can get attention by being a rebel,” Unifah said.
Earlier this month, a video of a student verbally abusing a teacher at an elite school in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, also went viral.
Both videos have drawn the public’s attention, with many commenting on today’s students lack of respect for their teachers.
A number of similar cases of teachers being bullied by students have been reported in other regions of the country.
“Such incidents are made worse by the fact the government has yet to take bullying of teachers seriously, not to mention the absence of a teacher protection law,” Unifah said.
While the government has issued Law No. 35/2014 on child protection, the protection of teachers falls under Education and Culture Ministerial Regulation No. 10/2017.
Unifah said people had become more permissive of bullying against teachers because of this legal inequality, and that it affected the level of mutual respect between teachers, students and parents.
Psychologist Tika Bisono argued that the bullying of teachers was a growing concern in the digital era, with students choosing to bully teachers in many ways, including acting out in the class, talking back, or through more subtle forms such as spreading rumors.
“At times like this, teachers should be able to take control of their classes. If they could, bullying wouldn’t happen,” Tika said.
But unfortunately, Tika said, teachers in Indonesia did not receive adequate education about how to protect themselves from bullying.
“The government should pay attention to this matter,” she said.
Another cause of this bullying, Retno said, was bad parenting, as families were responsible for the development of a child’s character.
“They cannot differentiate between discipline and bullying. Parents often think that a teacher’s assertiveness is bullying and will defend their children no matter what,” she said.
Kartika Ningsih, 35, a single-mother living in Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta, said she sometimes disliked her son being told off by teachers, saying she preferred to do it herself.
“I think it would be better if the teacher called me and told me about my son’s mistakes. It doesn’t mean that I spoil him, but I know him very well. I know how to reprimand him when he makes mistakes,” she said. (ggq)
