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Minister may cancel 'full-day school' plan due to criticism
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Elementary school students pray together on the first day of school at the Elementary School SDN Simomulyo V, Surabaya in East Java on July 18. (Antara/Zabur Karuru)
T
he controversial full-day school plan proposed by Cultural and Education Minister Muhadjir Effendy might never see the light of day following mounting public criticism.
The ministry will cancel the plan, which would extend elementary and high school hours, if the public is opposed to the idea, Muhadjir said on Tuesday.
"If it can't be implemented yet, I will withdraw the plan and look for other approaches," he said as reported by tempo.co.
Under the plan, the extra hours at school will partly be used for character-building activities. Furthermore, it will also purportedly guarantee students’ safety until their parents finish work. The system could also help teachers gain extra credits for their certification requirements.
The idea of full-day school system came from Finland, which according to Muhadjir is home to the best human resources as students are given character-based education.
The ministry is currently assessing which schools are ready to implement the school hour extension, he said.
The ministry also studied other aspects of the plan, such as the budget, which will be further discussed by the schools committee.
"If they don't approve it, it's okay," said the newly appointed minister.
Parent Deddy Mahyarto Kresnoputro set up an online petition on Change.org opposing the minister's plan, saying that the plan would limit children's interaction with their parents. As of Tuesday evening, the petition had garnered 29,052 pledges of support. (rin)
