DPR: Don't Generalize, Study Tours Can Also Be Educational

JAKARTA - Ledia Hanifa, a member of Commission X of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), believes that regional heads, such as the Governor of West Java, need to consider banning study tours. This concerns, for example, the relevance to learning and the impact on parents.

"There are several things to consider when discussing study tours, not just the burden on parents. We must consider how the study tours themselves must be closely related to learning," said Ledia Hanifa on Thursday, July 31st.

"What is needed, including how teachers must have the skills to enable children to learn from their surroundings. But not everything can be achieved solely from the environment," she continued.

The member of the DPR commission overseeing education then touched on the special conditions for vocational high schools (SMK), which require industrial visits as part of the curriculum. According to Ledia, industrial visits are not merely an addition, but a crucial element in preparing vocational high school students for work.

"I just received complaints from a number of vocational high school teachers. For vocational high schools, industrial visits are part of the learning process. Students are expected to graduate from vocational high school ready for work, but (if visits are prohibited), they never see what the industrial world is like," said the legislator from the West Java I electoral district.

Therefore, Ledia emphasized the importance of a diverse approach to study tours and industrial visits. She encouraged policies to be tailored to the needs of each school and student.

"Not everything can be treated as one-size-fits-all. There must be requirements and needs, what the needs are, and so on. Furthermore, schools must also consider what is most efficient, one that doesn't burden parents while still providing the knowledge to students," Ledia said.

Ledia also emphasized the importance of cross-sector collaboration. She believes that all policymakers must work together and find the best solution that benefits the education and well-being of students.

"This is something we need to find common ground on, negotiate together, because there are many learning needs that inevitably arise, like the ones I mentioned earlier about vocational school students, that must also be met," he said.

"This is also a very important part of working together and communicating with the provincial government, city governments, and district governments, as well as schools. I think a solution will be found if we work together, because we can't all be treated the same," Ledia concluded.