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Bad plan: Educators agree early high school hours do not work
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Students take part in a morning parade before attending classes at SMA1 state high school in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, on March 1, 2023. (Antara/Kornelis Kaha)
E
ast Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Governor Viktor Laiskodat’s draconian decision to start high school in the predawn hours has received flak from educators and government agencies, since the policy came into effect at the end February.
Viktor seemed to epitomize self-confidence and certainty, as he spoke to an audience of senior high school and vocational school principals in NTT on Feb. 23.
“We have to change things [in Kupang, the NTT provincial capital]. [These include starting] schools at 5 a.m. Do you agree or not headmasters?” the NasDem Party politician exhorted in the speech, which has since gone viral on YouTube. “Agreed!” the principals said at the time.
The toll on students
Education experts have been even more pointed in their criticism of Viktor’s education policy.
“High school students need between eight and 10 hours of sleep. They are likely to sleep after 9 p.m., especially as much of their homework needs to be done through smartphones,” said teacher and child psychologist Sri Purwita ‘Ninong’ Mintarti. “If they sleep at 10 p.m., then ideally school should start at 8 or 9 a.m. The student’s mental capacities are affected by the quality and length of their sleeping hours.”
High school teacher Widya Suharnoko agreed.
