Dawn start for some of Indonesia’s schools

A CONTROVERSIAL Indonesian experiment of starting school at 5.30am has prompted widespread outrage.

Parents of children in Kupang, the capital of East Nusa Tenggara province, say their children are “exhausted” by the time they return home after waking up at the break of day.

Schools in Indonesia usually start at between 7 and 8am but teenagers at 10 schools have been chosen to head a pilot scheme introduced by governor Viktor Laiskodat to “increase discipline”.

Youngsters have been spotted walking down dark streets and waiting for motorcycle taxis to get them to school on time.

Rambu Ata, the mother to a 16-yearold pupil, told AFP: “They leave home while it’s still pitch dark. I can’t accept this. Their safety is not guaranteed.” Her daughter, Eureka, now has to rise at 4:30am and take a motorbike taxi.

Education experts argue that the policy could do more damage than good.

Marsel Robot, an education expert from Nusa Cendana University, told AFP: “It [the pilot] has no correlation with the effort to improve the quality of education.”