Cases Of Violence At STIP Jakarta: Closing Official Schools Is Not A Choice, Moratorium Could Be A Way Out

Jakarta Shipping Science College (STIP) Campus, official school under the auspices of the Ministry of Transportation. (STIP)

JAKARTA A cadet from the Shipping Sciences College (STIP) named Putu Satria Ananta Rastika (19) died after being persecuted by his senior, Friday (3/5/2024). How long did the derivative violence that occurred in this official school end?

Putu and his four friends were caught by his senior, Tegar Rafi Sanjaya (21), dressed in sports while in class and this was considered a mistake. As an effort to discipline, Tegar called Putu and his four friends and then collected them in the bathroom. It was there that Tegar hit Putu's heart five times until the victim fell down.

Tegar tried to pull Putu's tongue with the intention of making efforts to help the victim. Instead of surviving, Putu died of running out of oxygen due to her closed respiratory tract when her tongue was pulled by Tegar.

The day after the incident occurred, North Jakarta Metro Police investigators named Tegar as a suspect. North Jakarta Police Chief, Kombes Gidion Arif Setyawan said that in this case, Tegar was the sole suspect charged with Article 338 of the Criminal Code concerning murder with a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

"Because it was only him who hit. The others didn't, his friends didn't do activities in one room," he said.

The National Coordinator of the Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI) Ubaid Matraji said the case of Putu's death adds to the length of the seniors' arrogance towards juniors in educational institutions.

Long times become a habit. Being a bad system, a bad ecosystem, then down to the lowest layer is a matter of mental model," said Ubaid.

He also said that senior violence against juniors continued to repeat itself due to neglect in the educational environment.

"In fact, this is an omission. What is clear is that this kind of incident cannot happen without anyone knowing. Please ask the victims, please investigate, it must be known," Ubaid added.

Putu is not the first cadet to die as a result of being abused by his senior at STIP under the pretext of discipline. According to records, Amirulloh Adityas Putra died as a result of violence committed by four of his seniors in 2017.

Then three years ago, a student of the Semarang Shipping Science Polytechnic (PIP) also breathed his last due to being beaten by his senior on the pretext of coaching.

Not to mention the stories of alumni who admit that they often get violence when they receive education at STIP. Quoting Kompas, a male alumnus admitted that he had received acts of violence when his head was burned with cigarettes until he was injured.

There are also alumnus who choose not to continue their education at STIP because they can't stand the seniority there. During their education, the cadet was forced to swallow fish thorn, injured his hands using forks, and others.

Putu's death was in the hands of an arrogant senior who re-opened public memory about the STIP's oath that the school would be closed in the event of violence. The promise was circulated five years ago, precisely in January 2017 after Amirulloh died after being persecuted by four of his seniors, Yaiti Susko Mataheru, Willy Resumoan, Iswanto, and Akbar Ramadhan.

After the heartbreaking incident, one of the walls of the men's dormitory STIP displayed a message that reads "Remember! This School Will Be Closed If Violence Occurs". The anti-violence message was even installed in many corners of Jakarta's STIP.

In addition to the anti-violence message, STIP also has another reminder that arrogance that leads to death in official schools only leaves pain. A memorial with black and white paints was built to commemorate the case of deadly persecution that hit a cadet named Agung Bastian Gulton in 2008.

"Avoid Violence So That It Doesn't Happen Again The 12 May 2008 Incident That Caused The Great Cadet Bastian Gultom To Die," reads the message posted on the memorandum monument.

But I don't know what made the seniors at STIP feel like they didn't hurt the straightforward messages. The case of violence perpetrated by seniors against juniors continues to repeat itself.

In light of the written promise 'This School Will Be Disbanded If There Is Violence', education observer and Chairman of the Board of Experts of the Federation of Indonesian Teachers' Unions (FSGI) Retno Lityarti said an investigation was needed to find out whether schools needed to be stopped.

"Yes, first, just investigate. If the violence is very severe, it must be stopped," said Retno, confiscated by Kompas.

In addition to conducting investigations, Retno also said that it was necessary to evaluate how much official schools needed. But instead of closing the STIP, if possible, choose he prefers a moratorium, if indeed the public collects promises or messages written in the campur.

"So there is a moratorium, all (students who currently exist) will be qualified but do not receive new students. After the students have finished, they have just received new students and started everything with new provisions without violence," he concluded.