Jambi students told to watch TV series

Jambi students told to watch TV series

JAKARTA (JP): Junior and senior high school students in Jambi
have been instructed to spend a portion of their coming vacation
watching a local television series about a child who struggles
triumphantly to continue with his studies.

Antara reported yesterday that the six-episode Melati Mekar
Setaman (A Garden Full of Blooming Jasmine) will be aired by
private television station TPI from Oct. 21 to Oct. 26 to
coincide with the students' vacation time.

Head of the Ministry of Education and Culture's Jambi office,
H. Madil, said in Jambi yesterday the instruction was issued to
help promote the government's compulsory education program.

He did not explain how his office will monitor the instruction
given, saying only that teachers are expected to make their
students return to school with essays about the series.

"The objective of the series is to motivate students to study
and to persuade parents to send their children to school," he
said. "For Jambi, we're expecting the series to help us reduce
the rising number of school dropouts. Compared to other regions
in Sumatra, Jambi has the highest number of dropouts."

By making the series compulsory viewing, the office also hopes
to prevent students from hanging out in shopping centers and bus
stations, he said. (swe)