On school discipline
I strongly disagree with Nina Quan's opinion: Parents should be resposible (Oct. 25) and Belle Sanjaya's Disciplining schoolchildren (Oct. 26) in response to Etie Dirapradja's letter : Who should be responsible? (Oct. 20), regarding school discipline.
Discipline at school should be carried out in such a way that it benefits both parties. It should be carried out with a combination of love, concern, understanding and, most importantly, basic care.
A concrete example was shown by a teacher of a famous high school last year, when I was asked to monitor a nephew of mine -- who studies in Jakarta -- while his parents were in Pontianak. Being about 45 minutes away from his boarding house, the most effective way to monitor his activities during the week was by phone. I only communicated with his class teacher once to inform him that I was the guardian of my nephew.
A change in behavior was initially reported by the teacher, followed by a decline in achievement. My nephew had started to play truant and the teacher traced him to a nearby Internet game shop. He gave the excuse that he had been late and was locked out, while my appreciation of the teacher's efforts grew.
The biggest mistake made by the school of Etie's daughter was the failure to notify her of her daughter's absence as early as possible. It was the school's duty to check whether her daughter was sick or had skipped classes. If her teacher had done so, she would not have been absent for 14 days. I hope her school is not one that only shows an interest when school fees are overdue.
Even though parents know that latecomers will be locked out, that does not mean that parents approve of the rule. I believe that if parents were given a questionnaire, most would disagree with it.
Shutting out students who are late only shows the cruelty and the weakness of the school.
Luckily nothing bad happened to Etie's daughter while she was locked out. If anything had happened to her, the school would have been the first to be held responsible.
YULIANA JOEFRIDA NGATIDJAN Jakarta
Note: This letter closes the exchange of ideas concerning school discipline. --Editor