Controversial trial in Indonesia leaves school students trudging like ‘zombies’, parents fume

Every morning at dawn, sleepy teenagers can be seen "trudging zombie-like" through the streets of Indonesia. The sleep-deprived teenagers have become reluctant participants of a new controversial experiment that attempts to get their days off to a much earlier start.The pilot project is taking place in Kupang, the capital of East Nusa Tenggara province.Under it, twelfth-graders from 10 high schools have been starting classes early in the morning, 5:30 am to be precise.

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The scheme was announced last month by governor Viktor Laiskodat. Authorities say that it is intended to strengthen children's discipline.

Parents, however, are not pleased with the scheme. As per AFP, parents are claiming that children are "exhausted" by the time they come from school.

"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," said Rambu Ata, mother of a 16-year-old while speaking to AFP.

Netizens too are not too pleased with the experiment. As one Twitter user puts it "Yikes".

Another user ColminIndonesia has suggested school clubs to increase productivity, they wrote, the "early bird catches the worm - but only if it's light enough to see the worm and the bird is not half asleep already. This pilot initiative goes too far, does more harm than good. It should stop. Better to run productive after school clubs instead."

In Indonesia, schools generally start between 7 and 8 am. Experts, however, recommend a later hour.

A study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2014 recommended that school for middle and high schoolers should start at 8:30 am or later. This, as per the study, would allow the children enough time to sleep and catch up on the zzzs.

Marsel Robot, an education expert from Nusa Cendana University, agrees. Speaking to AFP, Robot said that the 5:30 am classes scheme has "no correlation with the effort to improve the quality of education." He said that it can cause sleep deprivation, which can affect their health and behaviour.

"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," he said.

In spite of the criticism, authorities have maintained the experiment. It has actually been extended to the local education agency, due to which the agency's civil servants now also start their day at 5:30 am.

(With inputs from agencies)

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