The new school year is about to start, and with it worries about the school bullying and brawls that are so rife in Jakarta.
The Jakarta Education Agency is introducing tough new measures to prevent disorderly behavior in the capital’s public schools – measures that punish the schools more than the students.
During the orientation period on July 27-29, the agency said it will not tolerate any bullying in public schools.
“If [bullying in schools during orientation] still happens, the school principal will be replaced right away,” said Sopan Adrianto, deputy head of the Jakarta Education Agency, as quoted by Kompas today.
Other than school principals, teachers could also get demoted if their students get caught bullying.
It’s not exactly a foolproof rule, considering that students can deliberately bully one another out of spite for a disliked school principal or teacher. The students may get punished for bullying, but their school principal or teacher could be out of a job.
