Parents should be warned of excessive schooling

Anton Sudarisman Balikpapan

With the frenzy of the new academic year now subduing, parents are now thinking about how to boost their children's academic performance. Parents seem to be aware that as the competition to get into the top universities becomes more and more fierce, they must do everything in their power to ensure their children get the best education possible beginning as early as possible. Otherwise, their children will end up in mediocre schools or universities.

Take Jeannete, mother of Dino, a third year student at a junior high school in Balikpapan. She is now pushing her son to attend extra tutoring sessions after school. In fact, she has been pretty alarmed since Dino's school warned parents the standard for passing the final exam for the current academic year would be tougher than in previous years.

"The school informed all parents that the new passing grade for the upcoming national exam will be 5.1, up from 4.1 last year," Jeannete said. Since then, she has been busy looking for private tutors to give her son extra lessons in English, math and natural science.

As a result, Dino is now an very busy student. He goes to regular school from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., and then attends private tutoring sessions from 3 to 6 p.m.

"After a short break for a shower and dinner in the evening, I have to do some homework as well. So, I basically go to bed at 10 p.m. totally exhausted," Dino said. By rough calculation, Dino spends at least 11 hours studying every day, except Sunday.

A lot of parents are content seeing their children spend the entire day inside a classroom, both at school and in private tutoring sessions.

"I don't mind spending about Rp 500,000 each month for Dino's tuition and extra education, as long as my son is properly schooled," Jeannete explains. For a family of four with a modest income of about Rp 2 million per month, that is a substantial amount of money.

While excessive studying might help a child's grades, it may also be bad for them. Yanti Dewi, an educational counselor who graduated from the University of Indonesia, has identified a number of dangers that parents should be aware of regarding excessive schooling.

First, excessive schooling can cause stress to a child, particularly because most schools and private tutors use traditional teaching methods.

"Learning in Indonesia is still a one-way process, which puts the child in a position of being fed information all the time. Consequently, children cannot digest the materials properly. It is like eating: if you eat the same food in huge portions every day, your body will end up rejecting it. Even worse, your body may refuse all types of food entering your mouth. Similarly, children who have to attend an excessive amount of class may one day consider learning a traumatic experience," Yanti explained.

Second, too much schooling means a lot less time for playing and interacting with other people, both considered critical for children.

"A lot of parents are so obsessive about schooling, while ignoring the children's need for a balanced life," Yanti said.

Finally, too much time spent on education means less time for the parent-child relationship. It is popularly understood that much of the inappropriate behavior by the young can usually be traced back to a lack of proper family relationships.

Jeannete, for instance, admits that she now has very little time to interact with Dino. "It worries me, of course, but he also needs a good education."

Considering that there is the potential danger of excessive schooling, what can parents do?

As the need for extra lessons can be attributed to the sub- standard quality of teaching at schools, parents can help schools improve the quality of the teaching-learning process. Parents can take their initiatives to school committees, which are gaining in power and popularity at schools. A school committee, for instance, can propose and seek support from parents and the city council for new teaching materials such as books and lab equipment.

They can also provide additional funds to support teacher development programs. At some schools, committees can even ask teachers not to moonlight, which is considered a prime cause of fatigue and a lack of preparation on the part of teachers. As compensation, parents must be willing to provide funds for extra benefits for the teachers.

In addition, parents must now learn to take a more active role in home education. Home education is defined as structured learning activities conducted at home, and usually facilitated by parents. This type of education is still considered the best answer to children's need for extra learning, as well as improving the parent-child relationship. According to my own observations, many parents who send their children to private lessons are in fact capable of conducting home education.

Of course, to be able to provide quality learning for their children, parents need to update their knowledge, such as by sharing with other parents, reading educational books or seeking professional help at the initial stage. Although it means extra work for parents, home education is indeed rewarding.

The writer is a training consultant and managing partner of International Learning Services in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan. He can be reached at antondaris@telkom.net.