Layered Strategy by Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to Realise Safe and Violence-Free Schools

The Head of the Character Strengthening Centre at the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen), Rusprita Putri, stated that the government is building an educational ecosystem capable of preventing violence from an early stage through character strengthening, school governance, and the involvement of all stakeholders. The strategy is implemented in a tiered manner from the central to regional levels through several main steps. First, strengthening governance within educational units. Every school is encouraged to have a code of conduct, a code of ethics, standard operating procedures, an early detection system, identification of vulnerable points, and an easily accessible complaints channel that guarantees the confidentiality of the reporter. “The school principal is responsible for ensuring that all these mechanisms run effectively as part of prevention efforts,” said Rusprita when contacted on Sunday (14/6). Second, increasing the capacity of all school members. Kemendikdasmen strengthens the capacity of school principals, teachers, and educational staff through various programmes, including Guidance and Counselling Training and advanced inclusive training, improving competence in early detection, psychosocial support, child protection, effective communication, inclusive education, and handling violations. In addition, student character strengthening is integrated into intracurricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities so that the values of mutual respect, empathy, and anti-violence grow into a culture within the school environment. Third, character strengthening through habituation according to the student’s developmental stage. Kemendikdasmen integrates efforts to prevent sexual violence into the implementation of great character habituation at every level of education. The material is arranged according to the age and development of students, ranging from recognising body boundaries and the courage to say no, understanding personal limits and healthy relationships, to building the ability to control oneself, communicate assertively, and recognise, prevent, and report acts of violence. With this approach, students are equipped with the ability to protect themselves while respecting the rights and dignity of others. The fourth effort is building a positive culture in schools. Prevention of sexual violence is not only carried out through rules, but also through the habituation of the values of integrity, responsibility, care, empathy, and respect for the dignity of every individual. “Students are also encouraged to become agents of change through programmes such as the ‘get along with friends’ movement which develops a culture of mutual care and mutual protection,” she said. Fifth, strengthening cross-sector collaboration. A safe and comfortable school culture places child protection as a shared responsibility, with parents, school committees, the community, the media, and local governments all having an important role in building a safe environment, including through supervision, education, and mentoring of children, both in the real environment and in the digital space. Sixth, strengthening coordination through the Safe and Comfortable School Culture Working Group (Pokja) at the regional level. The Pokja is tasked with conducting education, receiving reports, carrying out initial verification, coordinating handling, facilitating referrals to authorised agencies, and monitoring the follow-up of case handling.