Comprehensive Prevention Never in Place

KOMPAS/STEFANUS ATO

High school students hold up a banner on Thursday (13/2/2020) at SMAN 12 Bekasi in Bekasi municipality, West Java, in defense of a teacher accused of child abuse for hitting two students at the school. The banner reads, “We, the students of SMAN 12, love teachers who educate.”

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – Cases of school violence still reoccur due to the lack of well-prepared and comprehensive prevention programs involving teachers, parents and students. At the same time, some consider school violence in its various forms as ordinary.

Cahaya Guru Foundation chairwoman Henny Supolo said in Jakarta on Friday (14/2/2020) that not all violent attacks left physical marks. Nevertheless, violence remains a problem that must be resolved. Chief of all solutions is that schools admit violence as a problem and make efforts to resolve it collectively.

“The curriculum cannot be used to prevent violent practices, such as bullying. Students, teachers and parents must sit together, talk about violence as a problem and find comprehensive solutions together,” she said.

Schools are hoped to be able to develop counseling to prevent violence involving teachers and students.

Several reports of cases of school violence emerged this past week. Among them was the teacher identified only as I who was caught on tape of beating a student at SMAN 12 high school in Bekasi, West Java. The video went viral on social media.

Meanwhile, three students of SMP Muhammadiyah middle school in Butuh district, Purworejo regency, Central Java, were named suspects for reportedly bullying their friend, CA, 16. In Malang, East Java, seven students bullied a middle school student, whose middle finger had to be amputated following the incident.

National Child Protection Commission (KPAI) commissioner Rita Pranawati said that, due to the exchange of information on the internet, it had become easier for children and teenagers to imitate adult behavior, including violence. “Parents and teachers should have positioned themselves as friends [for children], where they can share stories. However, the reality is far from this. As a result, problems of violence, such as bullying, have no solutions,” she said.

Schools are hoped to be able to develop counseling to prevent violence involving teachers and students. If needed, schools can refer to psychologists in such matters.

KOMPAS/PRIYOMBODO

A student greets his mother, who accompanies him to SDN State Elementary School in Larangan, Tangerang city, Banten, Friday (14/2/2020). The rise in the number of cases of bullying in schools has attracted the attention of the community, especially parents. Guidance and supervision, the setting of good examples by teachers at school and the participation of parents are part of the efforts to overcome the bullying.

Minister’s regulation

The Education and Culture Ministry has issued ministerial regulation No. 82/2015 on prevention and mitigation of violence in schools. The regulation stipulates that schools, regional administrations and the Education and Culture Ministry must work together to mitigate school violence.

The ministry has also opened a reporting channel at sekolahaman.kemdikbud.go.id. Regional administrations allocate budgets for prevention and mitigation teams. However, the implementation of the minister’s regulation still leaves much to be desired.

The ministry’s acting director general for early childhood education, basic education and secondary education, Harris Iskandar, said he was concerned about the various cases of school violence. Local administrations and the police are tackling such cases. “If schools can implement Education and Culture Ministerial Regulation No. 82/2015, prevention can be better. Thanks to all media outlets that have reported these cases of violence and helped them get broader attention,” he said.

KOMPAS/PRIYOMBODO

Students take part in a joint prayer before starting learning activities at SDN State Elementary School in Larangan, Tangerang city, Banten, Friday (14/2/2020). The rise in the number of cases of bullying in schools has attracted the attention of the community, especially parents. Guidance and supervision, the setting of good examples by teachers at school and the participation of parents are part of the efforts to overcome the bullying.

Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy said that school violence occurred as a result of problematic behaviors from students or teachers. The lack of monitoring from schools is another factor.

“[Violence] is [the result of] stupidity. People bully others without being aware of doing so and saying that they were just playing around. This will not happen if teachers are always alert,” he said in Jakarta on Friday.

Muhadjir said that he had designed schools to create learning and monitoring programs to prevent violence. The government has established special teams to monitor violence and bullying practices at schools. “Firm sanctions must be put in place against perpetrators of school violence. Following the incident in Malang, for instance, the principal was moved [to another school],” he said.