Student brawls not the problem they were<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
One afternoon in 1989, Ubaidilah Rahmat, then a physics teacher
\nat SMU 1 Budi Utomo high school in Central Jakarta, witnessed his
\n1986 Daihatsu Carry being turned into a heap of scrap metal,
\ndemolished by a group of high school students involved in a
\nstudent brawl in his school compound.<\/p>\n
\"I was traumatized. Since then, I have aimed to prevent such
\ndisasters from happening to others,\" Rahmat told
\nThe Jakarta Post on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
But measures aimed at ending student brawls could not be
\nimplemented until Rahmat was appointed the school's deputy
\nheadmaster in 1998.<\/p>\n
\"And we succeeded. A few years ago, student brawls involving
\nmy students took place on the streets of Jakarta almost every
\nday. Now, my school no longer has a reputation for causing
\ntrouble,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said that the strategy involved developing the teachers'
\ncapacity to approach students on a personal level, while at the
\nsame time improving and give greater access to school facilities.<\/p>\n
As student brawls have begun to vanish from the streets of
\nJakarta over the last couple of years, teachers should be given
\ncredit for their untiring efforts to change their students'
\nviolent behavior into positive attitudes.<\/p>\n
\"We have only begun to savor success recently, only for about
\nthe last two years. The number of our students who have been
\ninvolved in brawls is zero. We have changed our students' image,\"
\nRahmat said, explaining that the school started to implement a
\nstrategy to reduce student brawls in 1998.<\/p>\n
Rahmat, along with other teachers, the student union and the
\nschool committee, had agreed to widen access to the school's
\nsoccer field up until 6 p.m.<\/p>\n
The school has also provided 80 personal computers with
\nInternet access for the students to develop their information
\ntechnology skills.<\/p>\n
He said that these efforts had earned SMU I Budi Utomo the
\nBest School award for high schools, granted by the Indonesian
\ntelecommunications company Telkom for encouraging students to
\ndevelop their information technology skills.<\/p>\n
\"We encourage our students to occupy themselves with all kinds
\nof school activities, hoping that they will be drained of energy
\nwhen they go home and cannot even think of starting fights,\" said
\nthe man, who has taught in the school since 1979.<\/p>\n
Similar efforts were organized by SMUN 46 high school in South
\nJakarta, which has provided 40 computers with Internet access for
\nits students to use. In addition, SMUN 46 also monitors its
\nstudents before and after classes.<\/p>\n
Iis Aris Munazap, a history teacher responsible for student
\naffairs at the school, said that at least five teachers regularly
\nmonitor the main routes their students usually pass before and
\nafter school.<\/p>\n
\"I keep watch over the students passing the Fatmawati-Blok A
\nroute thirty minutes before school starts and one hour after it
\nends,\" Iis said, adding that he has to go to work at 6.15 a.m.
\nand go home at 4 p.m. each day to do the monitoring.<\/p>\n
Iis also collaborates with four other schools that have a long
\nrecord of fighting with SMUN 46 in order to prevent brawls by
\nstanding guard near the \"enemy\" compound.<\/p>\n
\"Our students would drop their plan to attack when they saw me
\nstanding in front of the \"enemy\" school,\" he said. (006)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/student-brawls-not-the-problem-they-were-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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