Minister of Education and Culture encourages students to cycle to school
JAKARTA - The Minister of Basic and Secondary Education (Mendikdasmen) Abdul Mu'ti encourages students to ride bicycles when going to school as a healthy lifestyle, as well as energy-saving.
"We are now in the process of following up on the President's instructions regarding schools that are ASRI, safe, healthy, secure, and beautiful," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Monday, April 13.
This was conveyed when he inaugurated the Ahmad Dahlan Science High School, Salatiga City, as well as the inauguration of the revitalization of 17 education units in the city.
According to him, the ASRI School needs to start on a small scale, namely to cultivate awareness in students to love the environment, save energy, and get used to a healthy lifestyle.
"Therefore, we have just launched a cycling movement to school that we are doing in Salatiga City. Then, in Semarang Regency, we also distributed bicycles for children," he said.
He said the cycling to school movement and the distribution of bicycles were carried out to get students used to going to school with "gowes".
"This also appeals to parents for our children who are adults to be given the opportunity to go to school themselves, don't have to be brought," he said.
Moreover, he said, if parents take their children to school using a car that contributes to high congestion and air pollution in Indonesia.
"Therefore, if children can go to school by bicycle, then facilities are built so that they can ride a bicycle safely, I think it can be one of the movements and also the culture," he said.
In fact, the Minister of Education and Culture also hopes that the newly inaugurated Ahmad Dahlan Science High School in Salatiga does not need to use air conditioning (AC) to be more environmentally friendly.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Ahmad Dahlan Saintek High School in Salatiga, Sutomo, is ready to implement the appeal of the Minister of Education and Culture to get students used to cycling to school.
"We will also follow the government program that announces how these children will live a healthy life so that this cycling will start, and God willing, the school principal is ready to start using a bicycle," he said.
Regarding the use of air conditioning, he said, because the device has been installed, it will be used functionally by being regulated at certain hours.
"Regarding this air conditioner, we are actually functional. Indeed, we have certain hours. So, our children from the morning until 10.00-11.00 do not need to use air conditioning, we will arrange it in such a way," he said.
SMA Saintek Ahmad Dahlan Salatiga has a capacity of 144 students divided into four classes, each with 36 students with science, social and language interests.