Parents in Indonesia were outraged by the experiment that classes start at 5:30 in the morning

A controversial program in an Indonesian city has angered many parents. This is a pilot program in Kupang City, capital of East Nusa Tenggara Province, where seniors from 10 secondary schools start classes when it is still dark, at 5:30 am.

the goal

According to the British newspaper WatchmanThis program, announced last month by Gov. Victor Lescaudat, seeks to strengthen discipline for children.

According to many parents, what happens is that young people come home exhausted. Although Indonesia is a country where many people get up early, schools in this country generally start between 7:00 and 8:00 in the morning.

“It is very difficult, and now they have to leave the house when it is still sharply dark. I cannot accept this… Their safety cannot be guaranteed when it is dark and quiet,” says Rambo Ata, the mother of a 16-year-old boy, according to Ms. he said it Watchman.

According to the woman, her daughter Eureka now has to get up at 4 a.m. to get ready to ride her motorbike to school, and when she gets home, she can’t do anything else: “Now every time she comes home, she’s exhausted and falls asleep right away.”

College usually ends around 3:30 pm in Indonesia.

The dangers of lack of sleep

This measure does not improve the quality of education and the long-term impact of sleep deprivation may be worse: “In the long term, lack of sleep can jeopardize student health and trigger behavior change,” says Marcel Robot, an educational expert at Noosa Sendana University.

“They will only sleep for a few hours and this is a serious risk to their health. It will also cause them to be stressed and they will vent their stress by behaving badly.”

The Indonesian Ombudsman asked the central government to intervene to stop this procedure.

Criticism from the central government

A spokesman for the Office of the Indonesian Ombudsman, Robert Na Indi Jaweng, told the local daily compass This measure also cuts through the routine of parents and children covered by the new regulations.

We have asked the Regional Ombudsman to oversee the process. After all, the policy of the county government is not appropriate, because there has been no academic study (before the policy) and no public disclosure. In addition, the educational policy in the school after 5:30 a.m. overlaps with other sectors, such as security, health and transportation. Another member of the Indonesian Ombudsman’s Office, said Endraza Marzuki Rice.

Likewise, the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection and the Indonesian Child Protection Committee called for a review of local policy.

Even the change of Kupang Law has been challenged by legislators from the same district, who are demanding that the local government scrap the “groundless policy”.

Follow politics despite criticism

The local government didn’t just maintain the experiment, despite the criticism. In addition, I extended the procedure to the local education agency, as officials now also start their day at 5:30 am.

Reese Cecilia Bellukella, an agency official, agreed to the action: “As a public servant, I am willing to comply with the regulation and will do my best,” she said, according to the Watchman.