South Sumatra BKKBN Tackles 'Fatherless' Phenomenon Through School Report Initiative

The Representative Office of the National Population and Family Planning Board (BKKBN) in South Sumatra Province is working to suppress the fatherless phenomenon through the ‘Gerakan Ayah Mengambil Rapor’ (Gemar) or ‘Fathers Taking School Reports’ movement at schools. Head of the South Sumatra BKKBN Representative Office, Arios Saplis, stated in Palembang on Friday that this step is a tangible commitment to reduce the fatherless phenomenon, or the lack of involvement of a father figure in child-rearing in Indonesia. He explained that Indonesia is currently facing a serious challenge regarding the fatherless phenomenon. Citing 2021 UNICEF data presented by the Minister of Population and Family Development/Head of BKKBN, around 20.9 percent of children in Indonesia grow up without an active role from a father. According to him, this condition is triggered by various factors, such as divorce, death, or work demands that create distance between a father and his family. If left unaddressed, the lack of a father figure could potentially affect children’s emotional, social, and cognitive development. Therefore, he continued, the Gemar movement is not merely a ceremonial activity of collecting school reports, but a simultaneous movement to boost the quality of parenting within the family. ‘We hope this Fathers Taking School Reports movement can become a widely adopted positive culture, particularly in South Sumatra, to realise a resilient and characterful Indonesian golden generation,’ he said.