Fifteen-year-old Arik Khodiarani’s dejected
demeanor stood in contrast to her surroundings at SMP 4 Mendoyo, a pleasant
complex in Jembrana, Bali, with huge trees providing shelter for everyone.
“I
originally joined this school because it was said to be the best school in
town, even though I live far from here,” Arik said.
The
third-year student went gaga over the various after-school programs that ended
at 3:30 in the afternoon. There were Japanese and Mandarin languages courses,
culinary classes, math and sciences to environmental courses — at least at
first.
“We
don’t have those free courses anymore. We have to go home after 12:30 p.m. and
that makes me sad,” she said. “I have nothing to do at home and if we want to
get the extra courses, our parents have to pay extra.
“But
because my parents can’t afford them, all I do is hang out with friends after
school.”
Another
student, Febry Suseni, shared her grievances. “Our days are now filled with
boredom. I would love to learn more,” she said, glancing at two other girls who
nodded in agreement.
The
change came after former district head I Gede Winasa reached his two-term limit
in 2010. In April 2011, the school’s “special” status was revoked by the new
district head, I Putu Artha, primarily because of the costs involved in running
it.
“I
designed SMP 4 to set an example of how a good school should be,” Winasa told
the Jakarta Globe.
The
school was established in 2001 as a “sekolah kajian,” or observation school,
with extra funding for teachers and students.
“Education
is free in Jembrana up to high school, but for this specific school I allocated
more,” Winasa said.
The
additional budget included a Rp 300,000 ($33) incentive per month for teachers,
lunch allowances for students and teachers of up to Rp 150 million per year and
allowances of Rp 370,000 per year for 350 students.
Winasa
also introduce an IT-based Jembrana student system that allowed students and
teachers to be virtually connected, from daily attendance to any purchase in
the school cafeteria.
Over
the course of its “special” existence, the school reaped various awards,
including an award in 2008 from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for best
school in the cultural and environmental category.
The
school’s graduates have been accepted at top high schools throughout the
province.
Two
reasons were given to justify the change under the new district head. First,
Putu Artha instructed the school principal to disseminate a questionnaire to
parents asking whether they wanted to continue the 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
schedule.
The
result: a whopping 80 percent of parents said they wanted their kids home after
12:30 p.m.
“I’m
sure that questionnaire was fabricated,” Winasa said.
Second,
according to the Ministry of Education, there was no such thing as an
observation school.
One
thing is sure, and that is that teachers remain skeptical of the ongoing
changes.
“A new
leader means a new policy, right?” said Suratnyana, the deputy school
principal.
They’re
also beginning to see the impact of the changes on the students, he said.
“I find
that some students are now naughty, because they are influenced by their
non-school environment.”
Dewi
Kurniawati
Tha
Jakarta Globe
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