TANJUNGPINANG - The Tanjungpinang City Education Council, Riau Islands Province reminded schools not to force students to buy school uniforms if face-to-face learning (PTM) is held October 1, 2021.
The chairman of the Tanjungpinang City Education Council, Zamzami A Karim, said that students from poor families should not be required to buy school uniforms.
'Forcing' students to wear school uniforms has the potential to have a psychological impact on students, namely they do not want to take part in PTM.
"The most important thing is that they can go to school, interact and receive knowledge from their teachers. The matter of school uniforms is important, but don't burden the families of these underprivileged students anymore," said Zamzami in Tanjungpinang, Antara, Sunday, September 15.
The local government should contribute to the underprivileged students. The government's concern for the world of education is an obligation to build strong human resources for the present and the future.
The government as the agency authorized to manage the budget, he said, should help students from poor families.
Moreover, the number of underprivileged students has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, so that one form of social assistance that should be distributed is the provision of free school uniforms and school supplies.
"Budget refocusing should target the needs of students whose families are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Do local governments, Disdik or Social Services have the data? If there is, it should be continued by providing assistance in the form of school supplies, not just collecting data," he said.
If the government has not been able to provide free school uniforms to students from underprivileged families, he suggested instructing the school not to require these students to wear school uniforms during PTM implementation.
"Nowadays we hear complaints from parents of students who can't afford it, because they have to buy school uniforms whose value is more than Rp. 1.5 million. This is certainly hard for them," said Zamzami A Karim.
Head of the Riau Islands Education Office, Muhamad Dali, emphasized that schools are not justified in requiring students to buy school uniforms. Poor students still have to study at school when limited PTM is implemented, even if they don't wear school uniforms.
"We understand the condition of the students, especially those affected by the pandemic. Of course the school cannot force students to wear school uniforms," he said.
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