Five-day week and school

Five-day week and school

From Suara Karya

As a layman I believe that the idea to implement the five-day week system has a positive aspect. Financially, the government can reduce the spending of state funds. But some difficulties arise in the educational sector.

1. Most schools lack the facilities which support the nine- year compulsory program. As a result many junior high schools have to operate all day long. This inevitably creates difficulty for the schools to arrange timetables.

2. The children who live far away from their schools may have problems with safety and security because it might get dark before they reach home.

3. Elementary school children may not have time to attend religious classes or Koran reading activities they usually do from 2.00 p.m. till dusk.

4. Observations show that children feel too tired and so they need more pocket money for snacks. Also the teachers feel exhausted and lunch must be eaten during school time, which means a bigger family budget must be made available.

5. Imagine if both husband and wife are teachers. Do they have to leave their children at their parents? It is too big a risk that has to be borne by teachers.

6. The school hours are not spent efficiently. The long school break can create security problems.

Given all the problems mentioned, the following matters are worth considering:

1. The real condition of our country, particularly that which concerns working ethics.

2. In the government sector the distribution of work must guarantee that everybody should be fully occupied. Clock watching must be eliminated.

3. Indonesia should not merely copy U.S. or Japan where working ethics are unquestionable.

UTANG DALIWARNA

Ciamis, West Java