Teenagers in Indonesia are being forced to go to school at 5.30am in trial intended to ‘strengthen discipline’
- Authorities in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, launched the trial for 17-year-olds
- But parents claim their children are left ‘exhausted’ by the time they get home
Parents the world over will be familiar with struggling to get their teenagers out of bed on time for school.
But spare a thought for families in Indonesia, where pupils aged 17 are taking part in a scheme in which classes start at 5.30am.
Authorities in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, say it is intended to strengthen discipline.
But parents say their children – who are used to starting between 7am and 8am – are ‘exhausted’ by the time they get home.
But parents say their children – who are used to starting between 7am and 8am – are ‘exhausted’ by the time they get home. Stock photo of tired student
The trial has even been extended to officials, who must be at work by 5.30am.
‘It is extremely difficult, they now have to leave home while it’s still pitch dark. I can’t accept this… their safety is not guaranteed when it’s dark and quiet,’ one mother said.
Her daughter now has to wake up at 4:00 am to get ready and ride a motorbike to school.
‘Now every time she arrives home, she is exhausted and falls asleep immediately because she is so sleepy,’ they said.
‘It has no correlation with the effort to improve the quality of education,’ Marsel Robot, an education expert from Nusa Cendana University, told AFP.
‘They will only sleep for a few hours and this is a serious risk for their health. This also will cause them stress and they will vent their stress by acting out.’
