Teachers need help in handling trouble makers

Teachers need help in handling trouble makers

JAKARTA (JP): A government official defended on Thursday
school teachers' inaction in dealing with problematic students.

"Who can guarantee the safety of teachers outside school after
they reprimand or punish undisciplined students," said Sri
Sudono, head of the Ministry of Education city office, at a press
conference.

Sudono was responding to media reports that teachers had not
done anything to address the problem of students who were
involved in gambling, drug abuse and brawls.

Even security at schools cannot handle the situation, said
Sudono, who was accompanied at the press conference by some City
Police senior officers.

Under a 1986 gubernatorial decree, all schools in the city
must set up security teams, made up of students and school staff,
including teachers and headmasters, to deal with problematic
students.

Sudono reiterated that teachers need help from students'
parents to tell them about activities at home.

Drugs abuse among students has received special attention from
the public.

An anti-drug campaigner, Putera Astaman, said earlier that
drug abuse has become widespread in Jakarta and other big cities.

The head of Bersama, a non-governmental organization, said
that results of a Bersama survey showed that hardly any high
schools were free of drug abuse.

Putera said the surveys even found incidents of psychotropic
drug use at some primary schools.

He also said that several recent high school graduates were
arrested June 12 for illegally possessing and selling heroin to
school mates near school facilities in Kebayoran, South Jakarta.
(03)