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Nerds vs 'troublemakers': Students talk about burden of ingrained IPA and IPS stereotypes
The piloting of a new, optional curriculum may mean that students may finally escape the systemic stereotyping in national education.
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Science 'nerds': Senior high school students read a biology textbook together at at SMAN 1 Pekalongan senior high school in Pekalongan, Central Java. (Unsplash/Ed Us) (Unsplash/Courtesy of Ed Us)
W
ith the rollout of a new, optional curriculum pilot that doesn't force students to choose between science (IPA) or social (IPS) studies, senior high school students (and alumni) talk about the prevalent stereotypes of the two academic pathways.
Armed with their final junior high school grades, students face the million-dollar question as they get ready to enter senior high school: To enroll in the science or the social studies pathway?
Answering this is a heavy burden for students, as their choice will determine their next three years in senior high school. As many students will attest, enrolling in either the science (IPA) or the social studies (IPS) pathway comes with their own perks and prejudices.
The general stereotype is that science students are diligent, while social studies students are the ones “left over”.
“There are common preconceptions and differences [between the two pathways]. IPA students, even if they are lazy, [are still seen as] have the drive to study, or at least that they have a tinge of shame if they do not perform well in class,” said Cut Naifa, an alumna of a renowned state high school in Jakarta.
Having graduated senior high in 2017, she was recounting her personal experience as an social studies student with her friends from the same school as well as other schools.
“I think IPS students have a more carefree vibe to them, although a few are ambitious, too,” she said.
