Some schools opt to stay open during Ramadhan

JAKARTA (JP): Most privately run schools in the capital have decided not to follow the government's call to suspend classes during the fasting month of Ramadhan.

Interviewed separately by The Jakarta Post on Tuesday, teachers and students of the schools, including those from Islamic institutions, said they wanted their activities to run as usual during the monthlong Ramadhan, which will start on Thursday.

Although they are not closing for the entire month, some private schools are shortening school hours, with others closing for a few days at the beginning and end of the fasting period.

Only state schools have decided to obey the government's call to close, stipulated in a joint decree signed on Thursday by Minister of National Education Yahya A. Muhaimin and Minister of Religious Affairs Tolchah Hasan.

Many private school principals said students were more productive when they stayed in school during the fasting month.

Students concurred, saying that they would not know how to occupy their time if they were required to stay at home for the month.

"It's better for students to stay in school to follow their academic activities. Besides, they can also study Islamic lessons," said Gin Abdussalam, principal of SMP Al Azhar junior high school in Kemang, South Jakarta.

A holiday, she said, would only leave students beyond the control of their parents and teachers.

"Therefore, it will be better for us to take care of the students with positive activities, such as lessons on religion and ethics, during the holy month," said Gin, 54, who has been with the school for 20 years.

"For example, we will replace physical education lessons with the Dhuha (morning prayer). We'll also oblige the students to recite passages from the Koran for a half hour at the opening of the school day."

Al Azhar, one of several leading Islamic schools here, is widely recognized for its high academic standards.

All students of the school are Muslim, although the principal said the school was open to all students regardless of their religion.

An announcement signed by an executive of Syifa Budi Foundation that runs the school stated that school hours for Ramadhan would be from 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m, instead of the regular 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The noted Laboratorium Pendidikan high school, popularly known as Lab School, will be closed on the first three days of Ramadhan and a week before and after Idul Fitri, the first day that Muslims mark the end of the fasting month.

"It's the students that pressed us not to close the school during Ramadhan, saying that they needed activities during the holy month," Arief Rachman, the school principal and a prominent educator and Muslim scholar, said by phone from Samarinda, East Kalimantan.

The school has reduced school hours during the month out of respect for students who are fasting.

Not all students at the school are Muslims.

Arief said he supported the government's decision to close schools during the holy month.

"With the decree, the government tried to use the momentum of Ramadhan to increase the students' understanding of religion and moral lessons."

Muslim students at Catholic schools also declared their commitment to continue going to school, although their principals said they were permitted to stay at home during Ramadhan.

"I will fall behind my friends if I quit the classes," said Bisma Pamungkas, a second year student at SMA Pangudi Luhur Catholic senior high school on Jl. Brawijaya, South Jakarta.

Another Muslim student, Adwiya Pascahaji, added: "We would not know what to do during the fasting month."

Deputy principal of the school Purwanto said the school would operate as usual because the government provided flexibility for schools with "certain characteristics" to disregard the ruling.

"We will permit our Muslim students not to attend the classes during Ramadhan if they wish," he said.

But we won't give substitute lessons for them later."

Muslims comprise 40 percent of the school's 500 students.

State schools will apparently comply with the government's call.

"We will close school during the entire month of Ramadhan," said Abdul Kadir Husensome, deputy principal of state SMP 56 junior high school in South Jakarta.

However, he said many parents asked that he keep school open to ensure their children would not be unproductive or misbehave.

The Jakarta International School will close for three weeks starting from Dec. 17.

"The school management announced that the holidays were in accordance with Ramadhan and Christmas," said Lee Yong Se, a Korea student of the school in South Jakarta.

The government's recent ruling reversed a 21-year policy of onetime education minister Daoed Jusuf, which required students to attend classes during the fasting month. (asa)