School holidays during Ramadhan

School holidays during Ramadhan

From Pikiran Rakyat

During the 1994-1995 academic school year calender, the
Ministry of Education and Culture has scheduled mid-term exams
for Feb. 1-7, 1995. It should be noted that during this period
Moslems will be involved in many religious activities related to
the beginning of the fasting month of Ramadhan.

During the first days of Ramadhan children are usually engaged
in activities either in the mosques or Islamic religious schools.
These activities are aimed at enhancing the understanding of
religion. We all know that religious education at schools is not
sufficient.

Bearing this mind, I ask the Ministry of Education and Culture
and the Ministry of Religious Affairs to review the scholastic
calendar during the month of Ramadhan. I also want to make the
following suggestions.

1. Schools should be closed during the first few days of
Ramadhan and testing can be conducted before or after Ramadhan.

2. During Ramadhan, schools should be opened for 10-12 days
only.

3. The holiday period after Idul Fitri should be shortened to
five or six days, instead of 16 days as stated in the calendar.
If the holiday time is too long, children tend to do improper
things over which parents have little control.

MAMAN KARDIMAN

Bandung, West Java