Sutiyoso hails school for delinquent minors

Sutiyoso hails school for delinquent minors

JAKARTA (JP): The juvenile delinquents school for problematic
teenagers launched by the Jakarta Military Command in 1994 has
succeeded in improving students' behavior, Jakarta Military
Commander Maj. Gen. Sutiyoso said yesterday.

At a three-day Indonesian Teacher's Association conference,
Sutiyoso said that the school's strict program, which included
military training, had helped turn most students into good cadres
and role models for their peer groups.

They usually actively participated in social activities,
ranging from school renovations to keeping the environment clean,
he said.

The school, at the City's Main Regiment, in Condet, East
Jakarta, is sponsored by the Jakarta Military Command and the
Jakarta Police.

Most of its students are teenagers who have been arrested for
being in student brawls, or for criminal activities such as
stealing. They are then sent to the school for two months to
three months.

"I hope the program will continue to help problematic students
in the city," said Sutiyoso.

He urged parents and teachers to maintain close relationships
and open communication with teenagers, to prevent and reduce
delinquency problems.

Students fought each other because their parents and teachers
could not control them, and because of bad influences from modern
society, he said.

"Many young people grow up without sufficient supervision from
their parents, as most parents are too busy with their jobs.
Their children's learning processes are therefore mostly
influenced by their friends and the media," he said.

He urged the city administration to provide teenagers with
more facilities to give them enough room to express themselves.

He said student brawls in Jakarta caused major problems and
tended to be destructive.

"They wreck buses, school buildings, private cars and many
other public facilities. Brawls also cause heavy traffic jams,
thereby affecting innocent people," Sutiyoso said.

Sutiyoso also urged teachers not to sell their dignity and
self-respect by faking diplomas, manipulating scores or other
corrupt practices.

"Being a teacher is hard, especially because you only earn a
small salary," he said.

"But having a small income does not mean you are allowed to
get money illegally," he said. (07)