Joyful MPLS for Three New Students at SDN 5 Belok/Sidan Badung
Laughter and applause rang out in the classrooms of SDN 5 Belok/Sidan in Petang District, Badung, even though the school has taken in only three new pupils this academic year. Entering the fourth day of the School Environment Introduction Period (MPLS) on Thursday (16/7/2026), the three newcomers appeared happy and enthusiastic, joining every activity without a hint of shyness.
“I’m happy to join the activities. There’s no studying, just playing with the older pupils. Today I came early, did morning exercise, went to class and the teacher explained things,” said Ni Nyoman Putri Gauri, one of the new pupils at the school.
Putri Gauri is the only girl among the three. She already knows her two classmates, I Putu Sudiantara and Putu Pande Raditya Putra, as they come from the same hamlet.
The cheerful atmosphere was clear when the three newcomers sat alongside their seniors from Years 2 and 3 to follow educational sessions on drug prevention and anti-bullying. They listened intently to the teacher’s presentation while occasionally interacting and joking with the older pupils seated beside them.
I Putu Sudiantara admitted he felt no awkwardness because his home is close to the school and he already knows his new friends. During the orientation period, he and the other newcomers spent their time on enjoyable games with the senior pupils.
“During the activities there’s been no heavy studying, just playing with the older pupils. The three of us are ready to start full lessons next week,” said Sudiantara, a sentiment echoed by his friend, I Putu Pande Raditya Putra.
The school deliberately designed a special approach by combining pupils from Years 1, 2 and 3, who are within the same developmental phase, to make MPLS more lively. This approach is considered psychologically effective in building the confidence of the very small cohort of new pupils.
“With only three of them it would be quiet, so we included the Year 2 pupils who are in the same Phase A, so the atmosphere is livelier and the new pupils won’t feel lonely. Through this mentoring, the children become braver in expressing themselves because they feel they have older pupils guiding them,” said Ni Putu Lilik Sri Astuti, the Year 1 class teacher at SDN 5 Belok.
The challenge of teaching three pupils is considered minimal, as classroom control is in fact easier. Future lessons will prioritise lecture methods combined with role play.
“The teaching approach can be much closer and more intensive because there are few pupils — they can even be treated as a single group. After the teacher explains the material, the pupils will take turns coming forward to practise directly what has been taught,” said another teacher, Gita.
Meanwhile, the sharp decline in new pupils, from seven last year to just three this year, is underpinned by several demographic factors in the area. The school’s total enrolment now stands at 38 pupils, down one from last year’s 39.
“The main cause is that this school is supported by only one banjar, plus the birth rate here has indeed fallen. In addition, most newly married people of productive age migrate for work and send their children to school where they live,” said the head of SDN 5 Belok/Sidan, Ni Nyoman Jamin.
With around 80 per cent of the local community working as farmers and labourers, the school’s existence is crucial for residents. The school remains committed to maintaining optimal teaching and learning and has ruled out the option of school consolidation (regrouping).
“There are certainly worries, but the community hopes this school is maintained, because if it were merged, they would struggle to drop off their children given the long distance. We have coordinated with the hamlet head and the school committee, and hopefully next year pupil numbers increase, because current kindergarten data shows more children coming through,” said Jamin.
To safeguard the comfort of the new pupils, the school has also applied close supervision from the first day of their arrival. All teaching staff have been deployed to create a child-friendly school environment to prevent any form of intimidation between pupils.
“From the very first day we have directed that the atmosphere be cheerful and welcoming, and that there must be no bullying. The aim is that the children feel no fear or trauma about coming back to school the next day,” said Nyoman Jamin.
Beyond the children’s psychological needs, the committee has also drawn up a detailed daily agenda combining physical activity with nutrition provision. The full series of varied educational activities is scheduled to run until the end of the week.
“Every morning the teachers greet the new pupils, invite them to pray and do healthy exercises, then distribute nutritious food before moving on to the day’s scheduled material. We are carrying out this MPLS programme from the start, Monday through to Friday,” Jamin concluded.