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Month-long Ramadan holiday plan meets with lukewarm welcome
Parents have raised their concerns that a month-long school holiday could adversely impact their children’s learning.
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Dayah Darul Quran Aceh pesantren (Islamic boarding school) students attend a Quran recital at Gampong Tumbo Baro in Kuta Malaka, Aceh, on March 29, 2023. More than 220 students took part in the Quran Camping program, where they were trained to memorize portions of the holy text during Ramadan. (Antara/Khalis Surry)
A
plan to give students a month-long holiday during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which falls in March this year, has been met with mixed reactions from parents and leaders of the nation’s Islamic organizations, who fear that the policy could be counterproductive.
In past years, school holidays during Ramadan have usually been limited to the first three days of the fasting month, with local education agencies and schools often opting to give their students extra time to spend with their families and to participate in religious extracurricular activities.
The government, however, began discussing last month extending the holiday up to one whole month, a policy which was last implemented in 1999 by then president Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid, a renowned Muslim scholar, to encourage students to focus on religious activities.
Parents, however, have raised their concerns that a month-long school holiday could instead adversely impact their children’s learning.
“If schools aren’t [open], my child will just play around all day,” Juju, a 48-year-old parent, was quoted by Kompas.com as saying on Wednesday.
Juju, who operates a stall in Blok M, a popular shopping district in the city, called on the government to scrap the month-long holiday plan since not every parent will be able to supervise their children all day and ensure they maintain their studies out of school.
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