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View all search resultsGovt to include anti-smoking in school curriculum
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Schoolchildren raise awareness about the dangers smoking poses to minors at the Hotel Indonesia Traffic Circle in this 2012 file photo. (JP/P.J. Leo)
T
he government plans to include the dangers of smoking in the education curriculum as part of character building for students, Education and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendi said on Friday.
Early education about the dangers of smoking would start in elementary school, he said.
"It is part of the character-building program," he said at Muhammadiyah University in Yogyakarta as reported by Antara news agency.
The plan is in accordance with government's grand plan of optimizing character education, which has been included in President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's Nawa Cita, his nine-item development agenda.
"Education on cigarettes is very important because [cigarettes] are very dangerous to teenagers," he said.
His ministry would study the plan first and then launch pilot projects of the program in several regions. The programs would also need to adjust to the state budget, Muhadjir said.
Even though it has not yet been implemented, some schools and some local administrations have shown an interest in the programs. Several local administrations have even asked the education ministry to host the pilot projects, Muhadjir said without giving details on the regions.
Indonesian youth is heavily exposed to cigarette advertising as cigarette companies target a younger market. Data from the Health Ministry last year showed there were 60 million smokers in Indonesia and that more than 3.9 million children aged between 10 and 14 became smokers every year. (rin)
