'Military school' teaches students discipline

'Military school' teaches students discipline

JAKARTA (JP): The South Jakarta military garrison is considering increasing the number of juvenile delinquents to be educated at its 'special school' and will double the school teaching period in the next few months.

Speaking at a meeting with teachers and parents, chief of the garrison, Lt. Col. Priyo Handoko, said here Tuesday that the army-run school has taught 18 students from nearby high schools the fundamentals of military discipline during a two-week course.

"In the future, we expect to receive more students," Priyo said, "and ideally the teaching period should be extended to one month."

The project was first launched last Aug. 7. Today, seven such schools are spread across the city's five mayoralties and two others in Tangerang and Bekasi.

Priyo said 90 percent of the graduates from the South Jakarta military garrison-run school have become model citizens.

"Based on reports from teachers at their original schools, almost all of the juvenile delinquents that graduated from our school have blossomed into disciplined students," he beamed.

"Their parents and teachers have also informed us that the students started studying seriously after leaving the army-run school," he explained.

Similar

In discussing the teaching process and curriculum at the army- inspired school, Priyo said that it is similar to other schools.

"They (students) study the same material," he said.

Perhaps, he added, the only difference is the emphasis on discipline, such as requiring students to wake up at 4:30 every morning, pray five times each day (for Moslems), do morning exercises and study late into the evening.

"Therefore, it's a mistake when someone refers our school as a prison because the students learn as students at common schools do," Priyo said.

Sartono from Purnama high school, a graduate of the South Jakarta military garrison school, was quoted by Antara as saying: "I have no complaints about this (army-run) school because it taught me how to be independent."

Due to the limited funds, the army-run school in South Jakarta received only selected juvenile delinquents from secondary schools who had been involved in repeated student brawls.

Headmaster of Purnama, Imam Sumitro, who attended the meeting on Tuesday, said: "Actually, we hoped to send more of our students to the army-run school, but only a few of them were selected." (bsr)