Zero Tolerance: Teachers at 'Sekolah Rakyat' Who Commit Violence to Be Immediately Dismissed

Jakarta, VIVA – The Ministry of Social Affairs (Kemensos) has confirmed that dismissal or termination without the mechanism of written warning letters applies absolutely to any education personnel, including boarding school guardians at Sekolah Rakyat (SR), proven to have committed acts of violence against students.

Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf, familiarly known as Gus Ipul, stressed that the policy is a form of the government’s seriousness in addressing all forms of physical violence, verbal violence, bullying and intolerance within the Sekolah Rakyat environment.

“We will not tolerate violence. If there is violence there, we will dismiss the perpetrator immediately. There is no first warning letter, no second warning letter,” he said.

Saifullah explained that firm rules prohibiting hazing and violence in any form have also been strictly socialised across all educational units, especially during the School Environment Introduction Period (MPLS).

As the organiser of the programme, Kemensos is fully committed to ensuring that the governance of Sekolah Rakyat can serve as a pioneer of a boarding school education ecosystem that is safe, child-friendly and participatory for children from pre-prosperous families.

As a preventive measure, every Sekolah Rakyat educational unit is now required to establish a Violence Prevention and Handling Team (TPPK) as the first channel for reporting and handling.

The internal team is also supported by a special referral mechanism to provide psychological assistance for students showing signs of mental distress or trauma.

To ensure objectivity of oversight, Kemensos has openly invited the wider public to help monitor the running of educational activities and report indications of violations through the official alert channel or call centre at 021-171.

Besides the telephone channel, the public and parents may also submit complaints directly via the messaging application at WhatsApp number 0887-717-1171.

Saifullah added that all reports received through the official complaint channels are certain to be followed up swiftly by a special team from the ministry in order to protect the fundamental rights of students.

“We want the wider public to see directly how Sekolah Rakyat works,” he said.