'Urbanization causes delinquency'

'Urbanization causes delinquency'

The bus hijacking by high school students using sharp weapons
in Jakarta en route to a brawl with other students last week
reflects the acute problem of youth delinquency. The incident was
further aggravated by the awkward handling of the case by the
police. Education expert J. Drost shares his view on the issue.

Question: How do you see the problem?

Answer: The basic cause of such a phenomenon, as I've been
saying for years, is urbanization. So many rural people come to
Jakarta. Most have no adequate educational background so it's
difficult for them to get proper jobs. As a result, slum-crowded
areas in the center of the city become the most suitable place
for them to live.

In their kampongs, mutual relationships are part of their
daily life. Neighborhood is very important. Everyone realizes
that no one can, for example, cultivate farms without the help of
others. Maintaining a good relationship with neighbors,
therefore, is a must.

The situation poor urban migrant families face in Jakarta is
in fact quite different from the one they have in their kampong.
The daily tension caused by financial shortage means most of them
are too busy to socialize. The struggle for life is dominant.
Families are busy competing with one another to earn money. There
is no room left for mutual relationships.

Q: How is this relevant?

A: Children of such a family, from their early childhood, have
already learned how to act to protect themselves from any outside
harm. They are always haunted by the feeling of being threatened
by others. That's why a single stare between two students
sometimes can stir a fight between two schools. Fights between
schools or groups of students, therefore, can easily break out.

Q: Do you mean there is a sense of solidarity among those
students?

A: Yes, but solidarity is not the trigger. The real cause of
the situation is the feeling of insecurity among students
stemming from a lack of finances. They worry over whether there
is enough money to pay school fees, buy books, or even to enjoy
daily meals.

The phenomenon later spread to schools in middle-class areas
though it has not reached religious and top-rated high schools.
The Cawang technical high school where the 72 students who
hijacked the bus are studying, for example, is not a school for
grassroot students.

Q: What has caused these problems?

A: The government's failure in handling basic problems
resulting from uncontrolled urbanization. The problem has become
very complicated. Fighting is now fashionable among high school
students.

It's also saddening to know how the police handled the 72
students. They committed a crime. They have to be treated as
criminals. I'm not suggesting that all of them have to be taken
to court, but something has to be done so that they learn from
the incident. It's pedagogical. If not, it will have a bad impact
on other students.

Probably the police were just trying to be careful. It's
understandable considering they've been under fire lately for
their bad treatment of crime suspects. However, being careful is
not the same as acting meekly.

Q: What's the best solution then?

A: I have an interesting example. In Germany, when elementary
or junior high school students commit a crime, the police ask
their parents to beat the students' buttocks because the police
are not allowed by law to do so.

Of course I'm not suggesting that we adopt this method of
punishment. The point is that children are taught from their
early childhood to be responsible. Punishment is given whenever
they do something wrong. That will also develop the children's
respect of police officers.

Q: What can a school do to lessen its students' delinquency?

A: It's no longer merely the schools' responsibility. It's a
problem parents and the whole society has to face. Years ago
school regulation was said to be responsible for their students
in a three kilometer radius of the school grounds. It's nonsense.
Outside the fence, we can no longer control the students.

Parents and society play a very important role. Therefore,
they should work side by side with schools to create a good
environment for the students' upbringing.

Punishment is needed for those who have committed a crime, but
they should be given a chance to correct themselves. Therefore we
have to be firm but not ironhanded with them. Harsh punishment
should only be left for those not willing to comply with the law.

Students need trust, not suspicion. It is society's
responsibility to guide them in the right direction. We should
also remind them that whatever they do will affect other people.
This will teach them to mind other people's business and thus
they will think twice before doing anything. (swa)

J. Drost, a Catholic priest, is a former headmaster of
Kanisius and Gonzaga Colleges in Jakarta.