Heavy Load

HEAVY LOAD

Nurhayati, Jakarta Post

 

In Indonesia, primary students from the first to sixth grade, lug textbook weighing as much as 8 kilograms to and from school. This hefty load is a reflection of the bulky curriculum experience faced by students in Indonesia.

This curriculum covers numerous subjects, such as Religion, Culture, Sports, Information and Communications Technology, Indonesian Language, English Language, Mathematics, Science, History and Social Science. This does not include any extracurricular activities.

Ironically, although the government limits the workload of adults to 40 hours a week, the study load it places on students, some as young as 7 years old, for the purpose of improving the standards of national education, ranges up from 42 to 47 hours a week.

“They go to school every day carrying a bag full of books; then they go home and do tons of home work. No wonder they are exhausted afterwards!” says Mr. Seto Mulyadi, Chairman of the National Commission for Child Protection. He adds that the current educational system treats children like robots.

Obviously it is important to raise standards and improve the quality of education, but at what cost physically and mentally to our children? Perhaps we need to rethink and adjust the content of the national curriculum to lessen the heavy burden on our children.

 

CAPTIONS

  1. Adika Ramaghazy, Class 6A. Bag load: 3.5 kg. “My favorite subjects are science and math. I like a lot of subjects because I love studying. The bag that I carry is not heavy because I know if I carry too many books, it could make me stoop.”
  2. Nisrina Khansa Izzati, Class 1A. Bag load: 2.5 kg.  “I like Science, Environmental Studies and Culture of Jakarta. I like a lot of different subjects, they are all fun! I also like studying so I can be smart. One day I want to be a doctor or professor. I prefer pulling a trolley rather than carrying a backpack because it’s lighter.”
  3. Amina Ratu Biqis, Class VC. Bag load: 8.5 kg. “I like Art & Culture. I only like a few subjects: it saves me from getting headaches and being tired – and it’s less complicated.”
  4. Muhammad Fachry Zanri, Class IIIB. Bag load: 3.4 kg. “I like science, Math, English and Indonesian. I like a lot of different subjects because I want to be smart, but I don’t like it if my bag is heavy.”