What is Indonesia’s Dawn School Trial?

March 15, 2023

The dawn school trial is a controversial experiment implemented in the city of Kupang in Indonesia. The pilot project, implemented in 10 schools in the region, requires students of 12^th grade to attend classes starting at 5:30 am in an effort to “strengthen children’s discipline”. However, the scheme has resulted in sleep deprivation among the students, with parents and experts raising concerns over the health hazards it might bring.

Students Face Sleep Deprivation and Health Hazards

Students who are participating in the pilot project have to wake up as early as 4 am to make it to school on time. This has caused sleep deprivation among students, which can lead to various health issues, including obesity, depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems. In addition, parents have raised concerns about the safety of their wards, who are forced to go out for school when it is still “pitch dark” and “quiet”.

Criticism of the Pilot Project

The pilot project has been criticised for the lack of correlation with the effort to improve the quality of education. Instead, the sleep deprivation could adversely hit the students’ health in the long run and result in a shift in behavior. A research by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which was released in 2014, recommended the classes of high-school and middle-school students to start at 8:30 AM or later to ensure a positive outcome.

The Indonesian Ombudsman has asked the central government to intervene in the trial being carried out by the local government. The Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry and the Indonesian Child Protection Commission have also called for a review of the policy.

Local Government Extends the Experiment

Despite calls to strike down the policy, the local government is still carrying on with its experiment. The experiment has even been extended to the local education agency, where civil servants now start their day at 5:30 am.

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