Parents should be warned of excessive schooling

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.