FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
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Study curfew to keep kids off Indonesia's streets

Study curfew to keep kids off Indonesia's streets

At 7pm every weeknight, Dadang paces the narrow lanes of Kampung Bonang in central Jakarta and sounds his loudspeaker's sirens. Residents don't panic. On cue, children with backpacks file out of their homes and head to the village community hall. They whi

“This is a call to my beloved children, that between 7pm and 9pm, the study curfew is in effect. May you become clever children, disciplined and focused,” Dadang yells through the loudspeaker as he is trailed by parent volunteers on study patrol.
This novel scheme to get children to hit the books began this month after Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo enforced a little-known district regulation, in place since 2006, requiring children to stay indoors and study. The move was to curb a growing number of student brawls and keep children from loitering in groups along the streets at night.
The Jakarta municipal government’s head of education, Taufik Yudi Mulyanto, says the scheme is on trial in 10 districts and will apply to young people ranging in age from seven to 18.
Such grassroots moves are crucial in nudging children to adopt the studying habit early, to eventually raise the quality of the workforce to meet the demands of investments.
A World Bank report on education earlier this year noted overall improvement in access to education but that not enough of the poor are completing primary education, and the quality of education is still very low.
Parents like Yuli Zulaikah, 33, see the value of the study hours. She makes her daughter, Merlita, 12, stick to them. The girl is banned from watching television or seeing her friends at night, following her recreational activities after school.
“Otherwise, these kids waste time hanging out at the Internet kiosk playing games or making noise doing nothing meaningful,” Yuli says during one of the night patrols.
“This way, my daughter is disciplined and the peer pressure from seeing everyone studying has a positive effect.”
As Dadang makes his call as he passes from house to house, televisions are turned off or muted, and children stifle laughter as they hurriedly bury their faces in books laid out on the bed or floor. Children can choose to study in a common space or at home. Those caught not studying have to cough up a 2,000 rupiah (US$0.17) fine.
“So far, I’ve collected no fines,” claims Dadang, adding, “we try the soft approach and persuade them first.”
In one community hall, 20 children are in deep concentration reading their textbooks or discussing homework, under the watchful eyes of three village headmen. 
Three lanes away, mall maintenance technician Agus Triyono, 28, and Setia Rahardja, 35, a security guard, pace the floor looking through the homework of 15 boys and girls in a common room there. The two men volunteer their spare time nightly to ensure that the children study during these hours.
“Sometimes, they ask us to do their homework, but I draw the line there,” says Agus with a laugh.
Another study area, a makeshift pavilion, seems to function as a tuition centre. Denni Afriyanto, 36, is teaching the children English, making them write words in Bahasa Indonesia on a whiteboard and then translate them into English.
“I was inspired by this idea and thought, why not share my knowledge,” said the wedding planner, whose two young children join the group he teaches.
Like any good idea, this curfew has spread to other districts in provinces across Indonesia. While residents seem to have embraced the curfew for now, they hope it will not fizzle out.
“Such initiatives must be implemented with flexibility. Poor children are unlikely to have Internet access at home, so going to the Internet kiosks is one way of accessing information,” says Arist Sirait Merdeka, who heads the National Commission for the Protection of Children.
“More importantly, will this scheme last? I don’t see meaningful impact unless it is enforced long term,” he adds.
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