Five-day school week

Five-day school week

From Republika

The plan to introduce a five-day week for educational institutions in Indonesia requires attention to a number of aspects involving the interests of students and teachers.

First: the ability to concentrate on lessons. On the average, Indonesians are able to concentrate for seven hours. Would additional hours of study be healthy for the students' minds?

Second: the sense of discipline of students and teachers. Won't two days holiday give teachers and students an opportunity to stay at home on Fridays, too? The present reality is that students are often found to stay away from school on Saturdays. Teachers, too, are often found to be absent. Have such tendencies been considered?

Third: the problem of juvenile delinquency. Two days holiday provide greater opportunity for gatherings with negative excesses.

Fourth: harmonious relations between parents and children. Taking into consideration the increased number of working hours, will having two days holiday increase the intimacy between parents and children? Not all public servants or teachers are male. For women teachers with small children this could pose a dilemma.

TEDDY WIDARA RUSPARLIN

Bandung