Member of Commission X of the House of Representatives Habib Syarief is concerned that there are elementary school students with the initials YBS (10) in Ngada Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) who commit suicide allegedly triggered by the inability of the family to meet the victim's request to buy books and stationery.
Habib Syarief also urged the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) to thoroughly investigate the background of the case.
"We are very concerned. This case is a loud alarm that there are still children who do not get the most basic learning needs. This should not be allowed. The state must be present to ensure that basic educational needs are met without exception," said Habib Syarief, Tuesday, February 3.
It is known that this tragic incident was reported after the victim asked his mother to buy school supplies, but could not be fulfilled due to the family's economic limitations.
According to Syarief, this incident is a blurry portrait of the national education world which shows that there is still a large gap in fulfilling the basic right to learn for children from poor families.
He assessed that the Ministry of Education and Culture must conduct a thorough investigation to determine whether there was systemic negligence in the distribution of educational assistance in the region.
"Because as far as we know, the education budget from the state budget is large, basic education needs such as books and stationery should be met," he said.
The member of the education commission also questioned the effectiveness of the early detection mechanism of schools and local governments for students who experience economic and psychosocial stress.
According to Syarief, school organizers such as local governments, school principals and teachers should be able to understand the priority of basic educational needs that must be met.
"This investigation is important so that the state does not ignore it. We need to ensure that educational assistance is targeted and whether there is assistance for children who experience severe pressure due to poverty," he said.
Habib asked the government to conduct a thorough re-inventory of the economic conditions of students in NTT and other lagging areas. He encouraged the strengthening of the free school supplies assistance program and the increased role of teachers in monitoring the psychological conditions of students.
"Don't let us lose a generation just because of poverty and system negligence. Schools must be more sensitive and responsive to the social conditions of their students so that similar tragedies do not repeat themselves," he concluded.
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