Lebak Regency Issues Early Religious Education Regulation to Support Tunas Programme

The Lebak Regency government in Banten has issued a Regional Regulation (Perda) on Diniyah to enable primary school (SD) students to study Islamic religious education after returning from school, in support of the Tunas programme.

“The Diniyah regulation is mandatory for SD students because it is a requirement for continuing to the junior high school (SMP) level,” said Assistant to the Regional Secretary (Asda) I for Government Affairs at the Lebak Regency Secretariat, Alkadri, in Lebak on Tuesday.

The implementation of Perda Diniyah Number 12 of 2015 aims to prepare a superior generation with human resources (HR) that possess character, noble morals, and ethics.

This regulation requires primary school-aged children in Lebak Regency to attend education at madrasah diniyah takmiliyah awaliyah (MDTA).

Therefore, most children in Lebak spend their time learning, starting school at 07:00 WIB and returning home at 12:30 WIB.

Afterwards, upon returning from school, they continue with MDTA education from 14:00 WIB until 17:00 WIB.

Then, at 19:00 WIB, the children participate in the Maghrib Quran study programme at prayer rooms, mosques, study circles, or Islamic boarding schools.

He stated that the local government is collaborating with various community elements, from parents, religious figures, the Child Protection Agency (LPA), the Children’s Council, and the Lebak Regency Children’s Forum, to provide education and literacy so that children can limit their social media usage.

This is because social media use can affect children’s behaviour, including making them lazy to study, and they are potentially exposed to negative content such as online gambling, cyberbullying, pornography, online games, and other crimes.

“We are collaborating with various community elements to jointly oversee this programme for the future of children in Lebak,” said Alkadri.