Public school kids in the city of Blitar, East Java, are now the beneficiaries of a rare and progressive education policy for Indonesia: no more PR (the Indonesian abbreviation for pekerjaan rumah, meaning homework).
On the first day of the new school year yesterday, the Blitar Education Board issued a circular to schools and teachers banning them from giving homework to students of all grades.
“Students need to learn from their families and communities. Now many students can’t even tell the difference between salam leaves (Indonesian bay leaves) and turmeric leaves. That kind of education can only be gained from the family,” said Blitar Education Board Head M Sidik as quoted by Kompas yesterday.
Sidik said that the policy was actually started last year but it was only communicated to teachers in the city verbally, resulting in many still giving their students homework. But Sidik hopes the circular will make the homework ban more official so that all teachers will observe it.
The education board head added that the no-homework policy means students have more time for extracurricular activities, including madrasah, which is a colloquial term for afternoon religious school.
Furthermore, kids in Blitar only have to go to school five days a week, one day less than most public schools in the country. Last year, President Joko Widodo issued a decree (Perpres) giving schools the choice of adopting either five-day or six-day weeks.
Blitar’s no-homework policy might have been inspired by some aspects of the Finnish education system — considered one of the best in the world — which also gives its students little to no homework so they have more time to spend with their families.
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