West Jakarta students required to wear Muslim attire in school
West Jakarta students required to wear Muslim attire in school
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Brawls, robbery, and drug abuse are offenses now commonly
committed by students. And some teachers in West Jakarta are now
hoping that forcing students to wear religious attire and perform
various rituals might be a quick solution to the chronic
problems.
"We make a good program in line with the West Jakarta mayor's
instructions to oblige students to wear Muslim attire and perform
religious rituals to strengthen their faithfulness and morality,"
said Ali Arsyad, the principal of state junior high school SMP
229 in Kebon Jeruk on Thursday.
Ali referred to the West Jakarta mayor's instruction No. 101,
2001 on programs to boost faithfulness and obedience toward God.
The regulation requires all West Jakarta students from all
state elementary schools and high schools to wear Muslim attire
on Fridays and on religious days besides performing various
rituals.
Ali said the program aimed at providing physical conditions
which were conducive to a student's development in moral and
religious affairs.
"We hope student brawls and other delinquent behavior can be
reduced through the program," said Ali.
Sujono, the principal of state senior high school SMU 73 in
Slipi welcomed the program.
"The program does highlight differences in the students'
religions. But, through such an obvious difference, the students
may become more aware of their religious identity so that they
can be more serious in developing their faith and obedience
toward God," said Sujono.
Sujono, however, admitted that the program needed to be
continuously evaluated as to whether or not it was effective in
reaching its expected goals.
But Ardian, a student of SMU 73, lambasted the program which
he said was more nuisance than benefit.
"It is uncomfortable to see other friends wearing different
attire just because they have different religions from me," said
Ardian, who is a Muslim student.
Ardian said that according to the regulation, Muslim male
students must wear white shirts without a collar, popularly known
as baju koko with Islamic cap (peci) while the Muslim female
students must wear veils (jilbab).
The non-Muslim students, Ardian said, must wear their "own
religious attire" including a tie and normal uniform for a
Christian student.
About 450 non-Muslim students and some 850 Muslim students
study at SMU 73.
Ardian also said baju koko or jilbab, which were claimed to be
Muslim attire, had nothing to do with faithfulness and obedience
to God.
"No guarantee that if we wear this 'Islamic attire', our faith
will be stronger and tougher," said Ardian.
Mochtar Buchori, an expert on education, said he was skeptical
that the program would be successful.
"That's not the way to implant morality in the students,"
Mochtar said.
Morality, Mochtar contended, was a "voluntary personal
commitment to values," and not simply "an obligatory obedience
toward imposed norms".
Mochtar also said that morality should be implanted in
students through the whole education process. "Sports teacher
could implant fairness in the students, while teachers of maths
could promote honesty, or a teacher of arts could endorse
compassion," Mochtar said.
"Responsibility for implanting moral values was the main task
of all teachers whatever their subjects," Mochtar said.
He said the program could be counterproductive as it would
freeze moral values in a subject on morality or even a subject on
religious teaching.
"Should the program be proven counterproductive, it must be
stopped as the cost paid is much greater than the benefit,"
Mochtar said.