Student brawls

From Kompas

We learned from a news report that a student lost his life in a recent clash. The victim was a student on a scholarship from an institute who was working part time selling papers to support himself.

It was sad to hear that someone who harbored ideals of becoming self-sufficient and whose family, quite likely, held hopes for him to lead a better life, had his life snuffed out so suddenly by a fellow student.

Having observed several incidents of a similar nature, I would like to suggest to the people in the Ministry of Education and Culture that high school students would do best if they no longer wore traditional school uniforms or any other school attributes, just to prevent fighting among the different schools.

Regard these kids as adults. Let them wear what they like, as the university students do. The absence of school uniforms could possibly reduce the tension among school children. Only a few students would risk a fight with non-uniformed people who could well be non-students.

Also, the government's purpose in requiring students to wear school uniforms is to eliminate the dividing line between rich and poor. In these times, however, it no longer serves this purpose. Many students flaunt their affluence in various ways.

SHOFIAN G.

Jakarta