Schools to get week's vacation for SEA Games
JAKARTA (JP): The city office of the Ministry of Education and Culture is to give the city's elementary and secondary school students a six-day vacation to enable them to watch next month's 19th SEA Games.
Hadis Hadianegara, the office spokesman told The Jakarta Post over the weekend that the holidays would be from Oct. 13 to Oct. 18, coinciding with the games that run from Oct. 11 to Oct. 19.
According to the education calender, the students' holidays were scheduled for the third week of October, after taking exams. Due to the SEA Games, however, the exams will be held in the fourth week of October after the holiday.
"We appeal to the students to watch the SEA Games so they can learn about sports events," he said, adding that it would be an enjoyable learning process.
Asked about whether the early vacation would disturb the students' class schedules, Hadi said his office had informally notified schools in Jakarta about the revision of the education calender and assured them that it would not disrupt learning activities.
"Basically, the plan is set so as not to burden or interrupt the classes," he said.
"We have not sent official letters to the schools because we are still negotiating with the SEA Games committee about certain sports events to be attended and their ticket prices," Hadi said.
Hadi hoped students would get cheap tickets and be able to watch prestigious events, such as track and field.
Adjustment
Some of the schools, which have been informed about the calendar rescheduling, said they would adjust classes to accommodate the early vacation.
"It's better to give the students an opportunity to watch the SEA Games, then having them skip classes to see the games," the headmaster of state junior high school SMP 12, Lesman Saragih, said.
Saragih said that the plan would force teachers to timetable extra lessons.
"From Oct. 13 to Oct. 18 my school was originally scheduled to have regular classes. So it's for sure that we will have to push the students to catch up with the missed one week of lessons," he said.
Agus Saputra, deputy headmaster of SMP 19 in Mayestik, Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta, said that during the planned vacation his school was scheduled to have the first-term exams.
"As we have been informed of the rescheduling, the students will have their vacation first and then start the exams on Oct. 24," Agus said.
"It's actually quite tiring for us, because we will be forced to finish all the lessons before the vacation," he said.
The new schedule was sent to the school about a month ago, Agus said.
The schools are reportedly waiting for further instructions from the city office of the Ministry of Education and Culture.
"I just hope this plan (to watch SEA Games) will not burden either the schools, the parents or students," Agus said, adding that parents usually complain if they are burdened with extra payments for their children.
Saragih said he hoped the office would arrange a good deal for the students to attend the SEA Games. "Who knows? If the matches are free for the students, it means that Indonesia will have a lot more supporters," he said. (07)