Experts confused by student brawls

By Hera Diani

JAKARTA (JP): Ahmad Tubagus, a freshman at SMU (senior high school) Muhammadiyah 1 in Central Jakarta claims that he has never been involved in a student brawl.

"Really, I think it's useless," he told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of a seminar on student brawls held by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare on Saturday.

He admitted, though, that his school mates almost routinely get involved in such fracas.

"They occur every Friday and Saturday. Our enemy is Israel," said the 15-year-old.

Israel?

"It's nearby SMU Fransiskus," he said, adding that his participation is limited to that of a bystander.

"I don't know, it's just a tradition, I guess. It has been going on for years," Ahmad remarked on the reasons why such useless acts of deliquency often erupt.

Ahmad is not alone, even experts are confused on the exact factors which cause the growing frequency of student brawls.

One thing for sure, student brawls have become almost a daily event in the capital and have claimed over 70 lives, injuring over 400 others and damaging some 1,600 vehicles in the period from 1997 to 1999 alone.

What is worrying is not the frequency, but the increasing brutality of such occurrences.

Data compiled by the National Police last year shows that although the number of brawls dropped from 386 cases in 1984 to 193 cases in 1999, more people were injured or killed.

Only four people were injured in 1984 and no fatalities were reported as a direct result of the brawls that year. Furthermore, police reported damage to only eight vehicles caused by the fighting.

In contrast in 1999, 204 people were injured in brawls, 35 others were killed and 478 vehicles were damaged.

"There are more schools in 1999 than there were in 1984 of course, but still, the statistic is shocking," psychologist Fawzia Aswin Hadis from the University of Indonesia told the seminar.

According to Fawzia, psychological factors plays a significant role.

Most students involved in brawls, she said, are those who have a rather low self-esteem and usually do not have a good academic record or other achievement either.

"They see violence as a way to release tension and anxiety because they have problems in sharing with other people or in finding solutions to their problems," Fawzia asserted.

However, Fawzia noted, external factors such as the school, parents and the environment also contribute.

"The educational system in this country does not encourage students to think critically. Schools also lack material that will develop students' decision-making and problem-solving abilities," she added.

Too many students in class and incompetent teachers, she said, have resulted in a less-than-optimal learning process.

Many schools lack facilities for extracurricular activities like sports and science.

"As a result, students become bored. They can't reach optimum achievement. And it causes them to do something useless like fighting," Fawzia said.

As for parents, according to Fawzia, many fail to build effective communication with their children.

Teenagers in search of their identity in peer groups are not given advice on how to choose good friends.

"Parents are unaware of the changes in the environment and most of the time pressure their children, for example, to choose schools that don't really fit their children's ability and interests," Fawzia said.

This kind of pressure, she argued, will suppress their children's development.

And if they are not used to overcoming their problems and making proper decisions, succumbing to peer pressure in a brawl can become a solution.

Besides the school and parents, the local surroundings are another major factor.

The prevailing hostile urban environment in the capital, including a lack of a good transportation system, can be the reason why student brawls occur more in Jakarta than other cities.

Transportation facilities for children to get to school comfortably and safely, Fawzia pointed out, are very poor.

"Because students pay less (bus fare) than other passengers, public transport drivers don't want to take them, or treat them in an unfriendly way," she said.

While most parents cannot afford to provide private transportation for their children, she added, those students have to take public transport even though the service is terrible.

"They wait for buses for a long time to get to school. It's very frustrating for them. And such tension can trigger their aggressiveness. Even the slightest act of provocation can develop into a brawl," she said.

Given the complex factors that cause student brawls, Fawzia urged that a comprehensive and integrated solution be found.

"We've failed to overcome the problem as we see it only in partial terms," she said.