Student brawls, a warning against education system

Student brawls, a warning against education system

By Rita A. Widiadana

JAKARTA (JP): The last school bell rings at 1 p.m. and the
crimes will start soon.

The end of school could become a nightmare for thousands of
junior and high school students in Jakarta.

As soon as students step out of their school gates, they may
enter a "war" zone where enemies range from zealous students from
rival schools to drug dealers eagerly looking for new customers.

It is between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. when such crimes usually
occur.

During these hours, parents can hardly breathe until they find
out their kids have made it safely home.

Students, especially those enrolled in schools located in
areas prone to crime, including street brawls, may find their way
home frightening.

Ita, a student at SMA 34 high school in Pondok Labu, South
Jakarta, related an unpleasant after-school experience she had.

"I was waiting for a bus with some other girls when suddenly a
large number of students attacked us and other people," Ita said.
She did not know why she was attacked and could do nothing but
run to save herself.

Donny, a student at SMA 46 in Blok A, Kebayoran Baru, South
Jakarta, is ready to face any attack.

"Our school doesn't have enemies, but we, the boys, are ready
to defend ourselves if other students approach us," he said.

Donny added that minor disputes, including shouting matches at
a bus stop, flirting with a girl and loosing a sporting
competition to a rival school, could cause warring students to
engage in continual brawls.

In the past few months, the capital hardly has seen a single
day pass without at least one student brawl.

In full-scale brawls involving dozens of students, stones and
bricks are not the only weapons the combatants employ. Many of
them are fully armed with knives, sickles, metal chains, swords
and even guns.

City police chief Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman said
the students had taken their street brawls too far and there were
indications their actions had become criminal acts which
endangered the safety of innocent people.

"The police will no longer show them (brawling students)
mercy, but will begin to take stern measures against those caught
fighting in the streets," he said.

Police statistics on student brawls paint a gruesome picture.

In l998, Jakarta recorded a total of 230 street brawls with 15
fatalities and scores of students and bystanders seriously
injured. In the same year, at least 1,550 students were caught
from an estimated 110 brawls. A number of students were brought
to court, while 68 are still being investigated.

This year has shown no improvement. Student brawls have turned
to more serious crimes, including bus-hijackings, robberies and
murders, targeting not only rival students but also other
parties, including bus drivers.

During the first four months of l999, more than 20 students
were killed in student brawls, including Joko Ariyanto, 17, a
student at STM Budi Mulia technical high school in Cakung, East
Jakarta, who was stabbed by an angry resident.

In Bogor, about 60 kilometers south of here, 14 technical high
school students from Jakarta drowned in Cisadane River in an
effort to escape police arrest.

Earlier this month, dozens of junior high school students,
still wearing their blue and white school uniforms, assaulted a
21-year-old Metromini bus attendant, Solichin, who died on the
way to Al Kamal Hospital in Kedoya, West Jakarta.

Their crime shocked people and shattered the community's sense
of security.

The case has kindled a heated debate on the decline of morals
and family values among youth. People were startled that today's
youth were capable of atrocious acts of mental and physical
violence.

"I can't believe that these junior high school students were
involved in such a savage crime," Resmi Marpaung, a teacher at
SMA 34, said.

Such disbelief was echoed around the country as people
struggled to come to terms with what had happened. Many experts
voiced fears the problem may be deep-rooted.

"This is a serious warning to us that there is something wrong
with our society and our education system," Sartono Mukadis, a
noted psychologist, said.

Juvenile crimes, which have doubled this decade, usually are
connected to after-school fights. Everyday teen problems become
worse during these after-school hours, he said.

Previously, many believed the majority of all juvenile
offenders were from poor or broken homes.

But the fact is that youths who commit violent crimes tend to
come from middle and upper-class families.

Youth crime also is rooted in a lack of guidance at home and
from the low self-esteem which comes from performing poorly at
school.

Marzuki, a teacher and counselor at SMA 34 high school, said
many troubled students at his school had family problems.

"Yet, we cannot generalize that all unruly students come from
bad families. Some of them have understanding parents," Marzuki
said.

But many of the troubled students do poorly at school. "They
can't keep up with other students and get picked on by their
teachers and friends," Marzuki said.

In their isolation, boys seem to suffer from an erosion of
self-esteem. They respond by overcompensating. They make
themselves respected by doing bad things to attract people's
attention, he said.

Raida, a teacher at SMA 46 high school, however, defended the
students, saying it was not all their fault.

"We must see the problems from the children's points of view.
Not all the restless students are to be blamed for what they have
done," Raida said.

The government, the community, families and teachers are
responsible for shaping their behavior. Many people regard high
school students, especially those coming from technical schools,
as "little criminals" and troublemakers, she said.

Public transportation drivers have always refused to take them
into their vehicles, while the police have always chased them,
she said.

Can you imagine, she said, a student who lives in Ciledug has
to get up very early in the morning just to catch a bus to take
him to his school in Blok M, around 30 km from his home.

"At the bus shelter, he only finds that all the drivers pass
him by. This is very frustrating. Not to mention other pressures
from schools, peers and parents," she said.

She believes the students' criminal acts are the culmination
of the continuous strain and stigma they face.

Adam Malik, a teacher at Bunda Kandung technical high school
in Pasar Minggu, is upset many people label all technical high
school students trouble makers.

"That is not fair. The trouble makers are just a minority
group. The others are good and polite students," Adam said.

Despite efforts to involve students in constructive school and
extracurricular activities, he said teachers alone would not be
able to control their students' after-school activities.

"I suggest that all related parties, including parents, the
police, teachers and the authorities, work together to deal with
students' problems," Adam said.