Newly appointed Minister of Education and Culture Muhadjir Effendy didn’t exactly start his new job off on the right foot after he announced a controversial plan to extend school hours.
The plan, which he called the “full-day school” program, doesn’t require children to literally be in school for the full day. Instead, it would have added extra hours in class for primary and middle school students, during which time they would get extra character-building lessons. Another point goal of the plan was to prevent kids from being left unattended while many of their parents or guardians were still at work late in the afternoon.
“I want schools to be second homes [for students], not supermarkets or malls,” reasoned Muhadjir, as quoted by Tempo.
However, it appears the ministry is not going ahead with the plan after all amid mounting public criticism.
“If indeed it can’t be done, then I withdraw the plan and will look for another approach,” Muhadjir said.
One petition started by parents on Change.org opposing the plan quickly gained traction after it was announced, gaining over 33,000 signatures at the time of writing. They argued that, under the plan, parents would effectively shift most of their child-rearing responsibilities onto the schools, which would in turn robs children of priceless time with their parents.
Vice President Jusuf Kalla, however, said he supports the plan as long as children won’t be made to study formally during the extra hours at school, which could have a psychological effect on their overall desire to study.
