'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)