Education Ministry Grants Flexibility for MPLS Duration in Special Needs Schools

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) is providing flexibility in the duration of the Ramah Masa Pengenalan Lingkungan Sekolah (MPLS) activities for special needs schools (SLB) to suit the requirements of students with disabilities. Kosasih Ali Abu Bakar, Head of the Study Team at the Centre for Character Strengthening of Kemendikdasmen, stated that the series of Ramah MPLS activities generally begins in the first week of the academic year and is conducted over five days. However, adjustments can be made for boarding schools, SLBs, schools providing special service education, and schools experiencing specific conditions. “For special needs schools that adjust the time and duration of the Ramah MPLS implementation, the details of the implementation must be reported to the Education Office or the ministry according to their authority,” Kosasih said during a webinar on Masa Pengenalan Lingkungan Sekolah (MPLS) at Special Needs Schools (SLB) in Central Jakarta on Wednesday. He further explained that the entire series of Ramah MPLS activities, including those at SLBs, must be communicated to parents or guardians no later than five days before the implementation, conveyed through an official letter, face-to-face meeting, or other effective communication media. During the socialisation phase, he added, the education unit must also educate parents or guardians about parenting patterns and strengthening character values through nutritious healthy eating. He also said that the ministry has prepared a reference for a number of activities that SLBs can carry out during the Ramah MPLS series to accommodate the challenges faced by students with disabilities. For SLBs, the ministry has prepared four reference books for MPLS activities tailored to different disabilities, namely visual impairment for SLB A, hearing impairment for SLB B, intellectual disability for SLB C, and physical disability for SLB D.