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Full-day school raises possibility of violence at school: Federation
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Elementary school students pray on the first day of school at elementary school SD Simomulyo V, Surabaya in East Java on July 18. (Antara/Zabur Karuru)
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controversial plan by Culture and Education Minister Muhadjir Effendy to extend elementary and high school hours had the possibility of worsening the cycle of violence at schools, a teacher association warned on Thursday.
"With violence, such as bullying and harsh punishment, at school not being addressed properly, a full-day school day would only exacerbate the problem," the Federation of Indonesian Teachers Associations (FSGI) secretary-general Retno Listyarti said on Thursday.
A study by children’s rights organization Plan International reveals that seven out of 10 students experience violence at school, while 84 percent of the bullied do not report the incidents to parents or teachers because of pressure from their peers, Retno said, adding that the cycle was completed when the victims turned into attackers once they became seniors at school.
She went on to criticize Muhadjir, who said he had used European state schools as a benchmark for his plan, saying that Indonesian state schools could not be compared to those overseas that had comprehensive curricula, complete facilities and supervision mechanisms to support their education systems.
Muhadjir was of the opinion that the full-day school system would stop students from spending their days engaged in wasteful activities.
